CHAPTER XVIITHE NORTHERN FJORDSBortheyri in Hrutafjord was our next port of call. It was by no means an interesting place: the country was low-lying, and the settlement consisted of a few houses only. We left early in the afternoon, and steamed almost due north out of the fjord. When in Hunafloi beyond the promontory that separates Hrutafjord and Mithfjord, we obtained an excellent view, looking straight up Mithfjord, of Eyriks Jökull. Later on, after rounding the promontory of Vatnsnes, and when crossing Hunafjord towards Blonduos, we caught sight of Lang Jökull, and could trace distinctly the line of the ice-field, although nearly seventy miles distant.We anchored opposite Blonduos late in the evening. The settlement consists of a store or two, a few houses, and a church. We did not go ashore, for no boat was available until the sun had set, and it was getting quite dark. It was about a quarter-past nine when the sun descended below the horizon. The sunset effects were very fine—one of those magnificent sights that Iceland is famous for.The Blandá, one of Iceland's largest rivers,discharges its waters into the fjord at Blonduos, which lies at its mouth. The river rises at Lang and Hoff Jökulls, and brings down thence considerable quantities of glacier water, proof of which is the whitish colour of the water of Hunafjord round about Blonduos. Seals were said to abound there; one was seen, I believe, but my own eyes did not fall upon it.Skagastrond was not much more than an hour's sail. The coast hereabouts is not so precipitous as that all round the North-West Peninsula: there is more lowland between the shore and the mountains, which stand back several miles from the coast, and the nature of the country is more undulating. The original level of the lava flows of this peninsula, Hegranes, can be well seen, as we saw it, from the western side of Hunafloi. The land has been much more worn down than has that of the North-West Peninsula, and only comparatively small fragments of the upper flows remain. I went ashore in the afternoon and found the land rather swampy, with peat bogs in places. A very small boy and a dog bigger than the boy both made friendly overtures to me when I was strolling along by the beach; they were both sportively inclined, and engaged in several rough-and-tumble scrambles. There are several small islands in the vicinity whereon the eider duck has its home, and where it brings forth its young during the nesting season in the spring. The eider-duck industry is an increasing one, and year by year the birds are more cared for.We reached Sautharkrokr early the next morning, and after breakfast I went ashore. The town isbuilt under the steeply sloping face of an old moraine, the material of which was brought down the valley at the back of the town; a stream runs down the valley by a channel which it has eroded through the old moraine matter. From a prominent situation above the town I obtained a good view up the Herradsvötn (the left bifurcation of it, that is), where there is a lake several miles long close to the mouth of the river. The lake was no doubt at one time part of Skagafjord, and it is probable that the northerly seas rolling up the fjord met the waters of the river laden with solid particles, and caused the deposition of the detritus and the gradual formation of a bar; the final stages were doubtless the gradual widening of the alluvial dam, and the gradual filling up of one side of the lake itself. Looking up the valley I saw our old friend Maelifellshnukr standing out prominently to the right at a distance of but twenty-five miles. In Sautharkrokr a peculiar dwelling attracted my attention; it was the deck-house of an old wrecked vessel.One of the few wild animals found in Iceland is the blue fox; we had two on board theVesta. Though in a hopeless state of captivity they were quite untamed, and snapped at any one who attempted to be friendly with them.On leaving Sautharkrokr and sailing two or three miles north into Skagafjord, Kolbeinsdalr opened out on the east side. This valley has been fairly well worn down: there is a mass of moraine matter on the sea front, which is cut through by a mountain stream from the Unadal and Myrkar Jökulls. Farther north the valleys of Deildardalr and Unadalr cameinto view. Then we passed between a tuff hill that almost hides Lake Hofthavatn, and Drangey Island, where an outlying Kerling rock (old woman) stands pillar-like beside it; there was a Karl rock (old man) also, but it fell recently. Malmey Island was next passed. The section of this island is peculiar, for a thick stratum of what looks like iron-stone lava lies on the top, then there are two or three layers of basaltic lava with what is apparently sedimentary strata between them, and beneath all there is some tuff. The situation of Lake Hofthavatn is also peculiar. The tuff hill in front of it is connected with the mainland by the merest strips on each side; the hill was no doubt an island not long ago, and the strips of land are beaches washed up by the action of the sea on the north side, and on the south by the effect of the current when the Herradsvötn river is in flood.The entrance to Siglufjord is very fine, and it is remarkable for its bold masses of lava. On the western side the flows are clearly indicated, as also is the peculiar erosion. There are bands of red tuff between some of the lava flows, also several scree slopes and alluvial fans at the foot; on the eastern side there are pyramidal peaks. Inside the fjord and at its head the bold scenery is continued. All this was made brilliant by some wonderful sunset effects later in the evening.CHAPTER XVIIIACROSS COUNTRY FROM AKUREYRI TO HUSAVIKThe next port at which we touched was Akureyri in Eyjafjord, the place from which we had started several weeks before to cross the island. We arrived at about nine in the morning, and the vessel was timed to stay there two days before departing for Husavik. I had formed the plan that if we reached Akureyri in good time, I would make a two days' trip across country to Husavik, and there pick up the steamer again. Fortune favoured me, for on going on deck to get a boat to take me ashore, where I intended to hunt up a guide and ponies, I came face to face with Sigurthur, one of our guides on the Akureyri-Reykjavik journey. Sigurthur had just come aboard to look for old friends. As he was disengaged as a guide, a few minutes sufficed to arrange with him to act as conductor, and to supply ponies, etc., for the journey, and in a few more he was rowing back to the shore to make arrangements.After breakfast I went ashore to purchase some provisions, etc., and an hour or so after mid-day, all being ready, we started from the Hotel Akureyri with four ponies: two were for riding, one was for thepacks, and there was a spare animal. We proceeded south along the shore of the fjord for about a mile, and then, as the tide was low, we struck off at right angles straight through the water, by that means saving about an hour and a half that would have been required to round the head of the fjord. The distance across was something between a mile and a half and two miles; the water was rather deep in the channels cut by the current from the river, and in one the water reached to the saddle-flaps; but I escaped a wetting by balancing myself on the saddle, with feet tucked up.On the eastern side of Eyjafjord we ascended the steep side of Vathlaheithi by a long gradually-slopingpath to the top, whence we looked down upon Oddeyri, the suburb of Akureyri, whose formation has already been noted. A good view up the valley of the Eyjafjorthará was also obtained, showing the deltaic formation of the river where it enters the head of the fjord. From the top of Vathlaheithi there is a sharp descent by a zigzag road to the valley of the Fjnoská, an excellent specimen of a meandering river, on each side of which there are fine river-terraces. After crossing the river and ascending the terraces, we struck into Ljosavatnskarth. On the south side of this valley I came across a good example of various forms due to erosion. Below the upper lava flows there were some alluvial fans, and below that, cones and river-terraces. Just beyond, we passed along the northern shore of Ljosavatn, and proceeded to the farm-house of the same name, about a mile farther on, where we put up for the night.When coming along the valley I learned the cause of what had sometimes struck me as strange. Towards evening I had often heard children uttering peculiar cries away up valley slopes, and I had imagined that they were calling to one another, but the real reason had never suggested itself to me: by their cries they were directing the dogs to "round up" and drive the milking-sheep to the farm-houses. Towards the end of the summer the sheep recognise the cries, and congregate without much rounding up by the dogs.Next day was an interesting one, and we had fifteen hours in the saddle. Starting at eight in the morning, we did not get through to Husavik till eleven at night. The first point of interest on the day's journey was the Gothafoss, a fine waterfall on theriver Skjalfandafljot, which we reached after proceeding a few miles across some broken lava that was partially covered by a deposit of clayey matter. The fall is split into two main divisions by a hard dyke, and it is probable that the rock on each side of it has different degrees of hardness also, for the water flows over at different levels. The central mass itself has a depression in it, and a narrow stream of water runs through it at much the same level as the higher of the two big divisions. There is another fall a few hundred yards lower down the river, but it is not so impressive, and the height is only about one-fourth that of the other. Just below the second fall, the river is spanned by a bridge—a light wood and iron structure supported on strong pillars built up from the lava beneath. A few hundred yards below the bridge there is a remarkably good example of river erosion: the river has split at a hard dyke, which stands in the middle of the stream resisting the rush of the water.From the bridge we made the gradual ascent to Fljotsheithi, which we crossed, and then descended into Reykjadalr to the farm-house of Einarstathir. In a way, this day's journey was one of the most annoying and tantalising of all I spent in Iceland. Gun I had not, nor ammunition; but I could have counted grouse by the thousand, ducks by hundreds, and golden plover by tens! I could almost have wept had there been time. I did not say very much—if I had, the tears would have been apparent in my voice; but—I thought just about as deeply as the sailor's parrot did. Fljotsheithi, over which we had just come, had been alive with grouse! Just thinkof it—thousands of grouse, and—no gun! From Einarsthathir we followed down the river Reykjadalsá to Helgastathir, crossed it just beyond, and continued down stream, past a number of lakes, the chief of which is known as Vestmannsvatn. The Reykjadalsá flows through these lakes; but from Vestmannsvatn to its confluence with the Laxá it is known as Eyvindarlaekur.Just beyond Muli, which we left on our right, we got upon lava again, and came to the Laxá, which we crossed three times in the course of the day. We made the first crossing at the spot where we first touched it, and it proved to be the widest and deepest fording-place in all the rivers I crossed in Iceland. It was nearly half a mile wide, and I entered without thinking it was very deep; but soon I found otherwise, for the water often reached nearly to the level of my knees. I was very anxious to get across with dry feet, for it was comparatively early in the day, and I knew that we had a long journey before us. I had once suffered from the discomfort of getting my boots filled with water and having to ride for a considerable distance without change, so did not wish to repeat the experience. By tucking up my legs upon the saddle, and balancing somehow, I did get over with dry feet, but my legs were fearfully cramped on reaching the other side. My pony, however, did his best to give me a complete cold bath, for he stumbled and went down on his knees in one of the deepest spots; but I did not lose my balance, and I succeeded in pulling him up without getting more than just a few drops of water in one boot. On we went over lava beside the Laxá for awhile,but the river had to be recrossed a short distance from Nes, a farm-house at which we pulled up for lunch. Here we arranged for fresh ponies to take us to a very fine lava-field a few miles to the north, and induced the farmer to act as guide.LAVA PILLARS NEAR NES.In the lava-field there were many examples of circular vents, through which lava had spurted in times of volcanic activity. These vents were rounded lava excrescences and circular pillars, all of which were hollow inside. They were of somewhat similar formation to two I saw in Vestri-Skarthsheithi on the western side of Iceland, of which I took a photograph. The vegetation hereabouts is that common in decomposing lava, and is chiefly birch scrub. There was an opening in the side of one of the largest vents, through which I was able to crawl with my camera;unfortunately, I misjudged the light, so the negative was much under-exposed, and the view of the interior a complete failure. The country about Nes is dotted over with cones covered with cindery-looking scoria, and having small central depressions; there are hundreds of them, and all around they stick up above the general level of the country. All these cones threw up more or less lava or cindery matter when volcanic activity was in progress.UXAHVER GEYSER IN ERUPTION.On our return to Nes we were met by the farmer's wife, who informed us that during our absenceourponies had got away and were then missing! There was a pretty mess! What were we to do? Abandon them, and go on with the farmer's ponies seemed to be our only resource! Time was pressing and precious, for the light was failing, and to see the Uxahver geysers was one of the objects of my expedition, and—we were still two hours distant from the geysers! While we were discussing the matter, we were overjoyed to see the ponies suddenly come up from between some of the farm outbuildings, followed by the farmer's son, who had been in search of them. We did not waste time then, but saddled up and away; but in less than a quarter of a mile we were brought to a standstill by the river Laxá, at a spot where we were to be ferried over. Of course the ferry-boat was notthere; it was some distance up the river, and had to be sent for. On its arrival, however, there was no further delay, for we crossed at once, and the ponies followed by swimming the river. After saddling up again we set off for Uxahver, taking with us the farmer's son to show the shortest and quickest way to the geysers. We crossed Hvamsheithiand forded the Reykjavisl and a smaller branch stream on the way to Reykir farm-house. On arrival there we saw a quantity of steam rising from several places up the valley, so we hastened towards the desired goal. A stream of hot water runs down the valley from the geysers, which are continually ejecting large volumes of it: the stream's course is indicated by the light clouds of steam that rise from it. We reached the geysers at last, at about seven o'clock, in a bad and failing light. I proceeded at once to the chief of the geysers, Uxahver, and got to work with my camera. Uxahver very obligingly made one or two of its best efforts, and I was fortunate to snap once or twice at the right moment. I also took a shot at it when quiescent, with good result. The next geyser of importance, Bathstovukver, also gave an excellentdisplay that I took advantage of, and the resultant picture gives a better idea of a small geyser in eruption than any of the others.BATHSTOVUKVER GEYSER IN ERUPTION.When I had finished my shots at the geysers, Sigurthur informed me that we were then only about three hours distant from Husavik, where I had to pick up the steamer the next morning. It was not quite eight o'clock, and the ponies seemed to be comparatively fresh after their rest in the middle of the day; so I thought it would be better, and Sigurthur agreed, to push on to Husavik, instead of staying at Reykir till the morning as we had originally intended when uncertain about procuring change ponies for part of the day's work. This arrangement would enable me to get on board without delay, if the weather should prove bad enough in the morningto prevent theVestafrom staying to take in cargo. At Husavik there is an open roadstead, and in stormy weather vessels do not remain long; sometimes they pass without calling at all. Wedidpush on, and the farther we went the fresher the ponies seemed to get, until during the last hour they raced along at their best pace, evidently knowing their way and where they were going. The night was dark—Icould not see the track, so I simply sat tight and let my pony go, without attempting to steer, trusting to him to make the best of the way; this he did at top speed without a single stumble the whole way—a feat that he had not accomplished in broad daylight. We arrived at the hotel at Husavik just at eleven o'clock, after fifteen hours in the saddle. In the earlier part of the day, Sigurthur had several times hinted that what I wanted to do could not be done in the time at our disposal; but I intended to try. So it happened that, with the aid of extra ponies and guides, and by dint of impressing Sigurthur with my determination, he gradually came round to the same view, and at last expressed agreement that itmightbe done if things went smoothly; from that time he made no further suggestion as to the desirableness of "cutting" some part of the journey, and we got through it all successfully.I found the accommodation at the hotel quite good, and at breakfast an excellent meal was served. One of the dishes was "whale"—a thick gelatine kind of stuff, cut from the fin of the whale. I took a small piece and found it almost tasteless.I have omitted previously to note thatskyris one of the articles of food served at all the farm-houses.It is a kind of clotted cream, eaten with powdered sugar, and milk or ordinary cream poured over it. At the hotel at Husavik theskyrwas of the best quality, as indeed it was at most of the farms, though sometimes it had a distinctly peaty flavour that was due to the nature of the surrounding country. Another article of food in general use, which we obtained from time to time from the farm-houses, is a sort of flat pancake introduced by the Danes. It is of a very leathery nature, and we used to tear off pieces as we wanted it, though more often one took a piece of the stuff and offering a corner to another the two would pull it apart. In spite of its leathery qualities, when eaten with butter and jam, and with good appetite as sauce, it is not so bad!CHAPTER XIXTHE EASTERN FJORDSTheVestawas late in arrival, and as the taking in of cargo occupied several hours, we did not get away from Husavik till the afternoon; we then headed straight for the Arctic Circle, passing the island of Lundey on the way out of Skjalfandi. When we entered within the Arctic Circle in the evening, the atmospheric conditions and the temperature were in keeping with our position on the earth's surface, for it was cold and bleak, and the night promised to be a dirty one; but the weather during the night was not so bad after all, and when I awoke in the morning it was to find the sunshine streaming into my cabin through the open port.At Vopnafjord we remained from early morning till late at night. We climbed the hills at the back of the town and made our way over towards Nypsfjord. From an elevated spot we obtained a view looking into that fjord. It was not a scene of striking beauty, but I was interested to see that the entrance to the inner fjord was narrowed considerably by a spit that extended well into it, perhaps two-thirds across. This had been formed, asusual, by the sea beating in and banking up the detritus brought down by the river, the Vestradalsá. Up there on the rises I succeeded in stalking some sheep and in photographing them. I had tried several times before, but had always failed. Nearly all the sheep in Iceland are horned, while most of the cattle are without horns. There were several things of interest in Vopnafjord that I photographed—the interior of a cod-fish store being one of them; another was the home of "Socrates," a notification to that effect being prominent on the front of the house. There were several stores on a point near the middle of the town, and in front of them there were about a dozen fish-drying grids lying on the slope of the beach. Here at Vopnafjord we found the people to be most curious regarding us and our movements. It was Sunday, and having nothing to do, they displayed to the fullest extent the Icelander's worst characteristic, that of staring hard and persistently.In the afternoon while cargo was being taken in, a little mild excitement was caused by the capsizing of nine bales of wool into the water, and by their subsequent rescue from drifting out to sea by a boat that went in pursuit.Before departing from Vopnafjord we had an invasion of Icelanders. They came on board, boatloads at a time; the smoking-room was soon full of them, and there were crowds on deck. I was writing in a recess just above the companion-way to the saloon; small crowds descended by it to the regions below and did not reappear—goodness knows where they managed to stow themselves. A fellow-passengercame up from a visit to his cabin and informed me that he had stumbled over two of the Icelanders, who had taken possession of his cabin. Helvit!—to use the mild Icelandic swear-word—what about mine? I went down to see what was going on inmycabin, and returned on deck breathing more freely (in two ways!), for I found that my cabin companion had early taken possession and had so far kept out all invaders, in spite of repeated attacks upon his stronghold. The atmosphere below was becoming quite oppressive, and one could almost have cut out a chunk of it!—hence, as I have stated, I breathed more freely on deck. But it occurred to me that if I took possession of my own bunk, I could help my companion in resisting future attacks of the enemy; so I went down again."There's a cry and a shout, and a deuce of a rout" going on generally, for we had arrived at Seythisfjord, and the invading horde was preparing to leave the vessel—it had come to take part in the ceremony of unveiling a monument that was to be performed that day, and to enjoy the subsequent festivities and gaieties. The trampling of feet above informed me that the natives were congregating round the companion-ladder. I shoved my head through the port-hole, and there, but a few yards off, were two or three boats. One was just pulling away very fully laden, another was loading up with passengers, and a third awaiting its turn to take on its human cargo. I went to my tub, and so, for a few minutes, escaped from the noise.During breakfast I listened to the tales of woe as related by my fellow-passengers. One had had fourof the natives camped in his cabin. In the morning they severally made use of his sponge and soap in performing their ablutions, while his tooth-brush only just escaped service. Whatever of his effects were lying loose about his cabin were subjected to inspection and examination: a bottle of "Elliman's" was uncorked and smelt, and the Icelanders seemed inclined to taste, but in their discretion refrained; had they but tested its virtues, they would no doubt have found it a most excellent pick-me-up. After performing his own toilet he went on deck, but on returning to his cabin a few minutes later, found two women in possession, and busy at his wash-basin. My fellow-passenger was a man who did not object to cleanliness in a general way, but for the native Icelander, both sexes, to take possession of his cabin and make use of his toilet things, was too much for his nerves. If he did not take a leaf out of the Icelanders' book and make use of their swear-word, Helvit! it was only because he was a clergyman; but I have no doubt that he thought that and much more of a similar kind!Another passenger reported that he had lost one of his native companions in a very extraordinary way. I must state that some of the Icelanders have the disgusting habit of spitting in all sorts of places, and they are not, as a rule, particular where—to them the whole world is a spittoon! This passenger stated that he had found a big Icelander in his cabin the night before, who remarked that he was going to sleep there, and immediately afterwards made some noisy throaty sounds, inquiring where he could spit. On being informed that it was not customary for anybodyto spit anywhere in a cabin, and that there was no place wherehecould do so, he looked surprised and expressed himself to that effect. Much to this passenger's relief, the Icelander then took himself off from the cabin, and was seen there no more. No doubt the native had found some spot where he was able to indulge his habit to his heart's content.I went ashore after breakfast, and landed just in time to see a procession of Icelanders and others. The occasion was the unveiling of a memorial stone that had been erected by the inhabitants of Seythisfjord and the surrounding country to the memory of a Norwegian, one Otto Andreas Wathue, who died in 1898. This man had been instrumental in making Seythisfjord a place of considerable importance, and its prosperity was due entirely to him.THE PROCESSION AT SEYTHISFJORD.The ceremony had drawn to Seythisfjord all the notabilities of the neighbourhood, as well as others from the near fjords, and a few from such distant places as Akureyri; it had also drawn thither two Danish men-of-war, and there were in port three vessels belonging to the United Steamship Company: theCeres, theVesta, and another. Some of the chief of the officers from the war-ships attended in their official capacity, while others from the Company's three vessels also attended the ceremony; several joined in the procession, which started from the veiled monument at the head of the fjord near the heart of the town. The Norwegian, Wathue, had lived on the south side of the fjord in a large house about a mile from the monument, and there the widow still lived. The procession made its way along the road by the side of the fjord, and then passed the house, where everybodysaluted the widow, who, with her relatives and a few friends, was a spectator from an elevated grass plat. I was standing just beside the house taking snap-shots. My picture shows the head of the procession: some of the leading figures may be seen in the act of saluting the party assembled on the grass in front of the house. The procession halted a short distance beyond, and then returned to the starting-point at the monument, round which the members of it congregated. The ceremony of unveiling was performed after some speechifying had been got through and several poems, composed by Icelandic poets for the occasion, had been recited or sung. Those assembled then adjourned to the fête ground on the other side of the river, where dancing and runningand other athletic sports were carried on during the rest of the day, and where fireworks were displayed in the evening. I took several photographs on the outskirts of the crowd round the monument while the ceremony of unveiling was going on; in them are two young women attired in the national costume. One is dressed in white and the other in a dark dress, but both have on the peculiar national state headdress.SEYTHISFJORD—ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CROWD ROUND THE MONUMENT.We called at Northfjord in the early morning, and after less than an hour there, set sail for Eskefjord, arriving there just before breakfast-time. Though we remained for several hours, I did not get ashore, for there was so much uncertainty about the time of departure that we might have started at any moment; there was also the usual difficulty of getting a boat.Faskruthsfjord is a very picturesque place; bold and peculiarly shaped mountains are all around. A liparite and tuff mountain on the southern side is noticeable chiefly for the inclined strata that lie upon its southern slopes. Behind the town a huge pyramid (a fine example of the result of denudation) towers high above. Faskruthsfjord is the chief resort of the French fishermen who carry on their avocation on the coast of Iceland, and though there are a few Icelanders in the settlement, yet the greater number are French.During the latter part of the voyage we had a passenger, an Englishwoman, lying dangerously ill. The doctor from ashore, an Icelander, came on board here to see her, as other doctors had at other ports of call; but he did not go away decently as the others had—no, he remained on board drinking and smoking, and talking at the top of his voice, with a number of men from shore, the carousal being carried on just outside the cabin-door of his patient! A specimen of the customs of the country as observed by at leastoneIcelander!Our last port of call in Iceland was in Berufjord, where we arrived at about six in the morning. As it was rainy and misty, I could not well judge of the scenery. It looked an interesting place, and there were several sharp conical peaks showing dimly through the thick atmosphere. We put to sea about an hour later, in weather that promised to be blowy, and the promise was fulfilled, for we were soon in a fairly heavy sea, which increased as the day wore on; it continued bad until we approached the Faroes next day, when it cleared up, and we had bright, fine weather while amongst those islands.We obtained excellent views of the various headlands at the north end of the Faroes; it was noticeable that all had perpendicular precipices facing the north, where the sea is continually at work eroding their bases. We passed through Kalsofjord, the channel between the island of Kalso on the west and those of Kuno and Bordo on the east. The islands have many corries, soft dykes, and mountains of pyramidal shape. There are several villages most picturesquely situated in the valleys and corries, but as we steamed along in mid channel we were not near enough for the camera to be of service.We reached Thorshavn in the early afternoon, so I went ashore for an hour to have another look at the picturesque town and at the Faroese. In the evening we set sail for Leith.FAREWELL FAROESE!APPENDIX INOTES ON PLANTS COLLECTED IN THE FAROES AND ICELANDBy A. W. HILL, M.A.The decumbent character of the vegetation and the practical absence of trees form the most striking features of the flora in both the Faroes and Iceland. In the Faroes the steep and rocky hillsides are very exposed and wind swept, and the vegetation is in consequence characteristically dwarfed, and most plants raise themselves but little above the general level of the grass.The dwarfed habit was well shown by some plants, such asOrchis maculata, which was very common on the slopes, and was only a few inches high. The inflorescences did not, as a rule, bear more than five to ten flowers, which, however, were large and pale in colour. The ovaries in many cases were not twisted, so that the labellum was consequently uppermost.Another example of the effect of the conditions on the vegetation was afforded by the dandelionTaraxacum deus leonis, which exhibited the prostrate habit exceedingly well, for in order to protect the flowers from the wind, the flower scapes were bent over and laid parallel to the surface of the ground and the inflorescence was exposed to the light by a right-angled bend of the scape just below the head of the flowers. The inflorescence was by this means protected from the wind by being kept just below the general level of the vegetation.Cardamine pratensiswas also influenced in a similar way on the lower slopes, but at higher altitudes plants were found bearing single radical flowers on short stalks instead of the usual raceme.We proceeded to Akureyri in the north of Iceland by way of the east coast, and it was interesting to notice the difference in the condition of the vegetation on the northern and eastern shores of the island. On the east coast, at Seythis-and Vopnafjords, the plants were stunted and for the most part only in bud; but in the north, at Husavik and Akureyri, similar plants were much earlier, and were not only in full flower, but were also much less stunted, and showed a more robust growth than those found on the eastern side. For example,Plantanthera hyperborea, which was in tight bud on the east coast, and alsoThymusand other plants, were in full flower at Husavik.Thalictrum alpinum, which grows abundantly all over the hillsides, was found to be attacked by the æcidial stage of one of the rust fungi,Puccinia septentrionalis;[1]and at Seythisfjord, where it was especially noticed, it was found that only the topmost leaflets were affected, that is to say, only those leaflets which protruded above the general level of the vegetation, and which were in consequence infected by wind-blown spores. At Seythisfjord the leaflets were only slightly attacked, the fungus being in a young state; but at Husavik it was much more advanced, and the hypertrophied purple tissues were very conspicuous. The effect often extended some way down the petioles.The case of the fungus is a further example of the greater forwardness of the plants in the north.There can be no doubt that the characteristics of the east coast vegetation are due to the prevalence of cold winds and the occurrence of cold currents.Whilst crossing the island several interesting features of the vegetation were noticed. Between Akureyri and our first camp (Thverá) several "forests" were passed through, consisting ofBetula nana,Vaccinium uliginosum, and Willows,Salix lanataandS. glaucarising to a height of from nine to eighteen inches, with an undergrowth of other small plants.The hillsides all round were covered byDryas octopetala, which was by far the commonest plant in the northern half of the island, and it was abundant also on the east coast.Travelling along the Oxnadal and then turning off towards Silfrastathir,Dryasat first was the most conspicuous feature of the vegetation covering the rocky moraines and talus slopes; but about three miles from the head of the valley theDryaswas replaced byCerastium alpinumandPotentilla maculata, which then in their turn became the dominant plants for a considerable distance. As we traversed the island we kept passing through well-marked zones of different plants, whose limits seemed largely to be determined by the character of the soil.After crossing the "col" some very rough screes were passed, on which the Iceland poppy,P. nudicaule, was growing abundantly. The screes were formed of rough angular blocks with very little soil between them, and the poppy was only growing in the most barren spots; where moraines occurred the poppy did not grow. It was also found on the stony ground by the river at Silfrastathir.The hillsides were covered in many places by large tracts ofEquisetum(E. arvenseandE. pratense). The various species of the Equisetaceæ seem to be among some of the commonest plants of the island. The swampy regions by the rivers are covered withEquisetumandScirpus cæspitosus; and they are very abundant on the mountains.From the river until we reached Gilhagi, the flora showed no features of any particular note; but a meadow there with large plants ofSaxifraga cernuain full flower was a very beautiful sight.On ascending from Gilhagi a change in the flora was gradually seen. After about 2000 feetPedicularis flammeaappeared and became common; on the lower slopes the leaves were green and the plants tall, but at greater elevations the plants became short and stunted, with deep red leaves. The high ground was very much broken up, being of a deep hummocky character and covered by a dwarfed growth of Willows,Empetrum, Mosses, etc.Passing over ground from which the snow had just melted, the willows were found to be either still quite bare or just coming out into leaf, but everywhere in such barren places cones ofEquisetumwere seen sticking up on pale brown stalks some six inches above the soil; the sterile green shoots do not grow up until some time after the appearance of the cones.All around Athalmansvatn the ground was very hummocky, the mounds being from a foot to eighteen inches high, with narrow depressions or ruts between. The elevation of this region was about 2500 feet, and as the snow had only recently melted, everything was in consequence backward,Thalictrumand willows, etc., not yet being in flower.Leaving Athalmansvatn a large tract of hummocky ground was crossed, covered chiefly byCassiope hypnoides,Empetrum,Willows,Salix lanataandS. herbacea, Grey Lichens, such asCladonia, and Mosses. After this our route lay across a piece of the northern desert land orSandr, which is a barren, sandy, and stony expanse. The soil was a light brownish loam, and was easily blown about by the wind, and scattered all over it were large angular or rounded blocks of stone.Arabis petræawas the only plant occurring in any quantity over this region, and it formed a very conspicuous feature in the landscape, growing in rosettes closely adpressed to the soil with the racemes of flowers growing out horizontally.As we travelled on in a southerly direction,Silene acaulisappeared and then a little thrift,Armeria sibirica, and theArabisbecame less frequent. Here the soil was more sandy, and the strong wind blew clouds of dust. Still farther south,Armeriareigned supreme over the desert; but occasional patches containingSilene acaulis,Potentilla,Cerastium alpinum, andSilene maritimaoccurred. Where the soil became more loamy,Arabis petræaagain came in. At the edge of the desert the willows were seen encroaching on the sand, and soon a willow and birch (Betula nana) scrub was passed through, which in its turn gave place to moister land withEmpetrum,Pedicularis flammea, etc.Near Blandá,Salir phyllicifoliawas noticed for the first time. A good deal of hummocky ground was also passed over, and its characteristic and invariable features were noticed (v. later).After passing over very rough morainic ground with snow still lying in patches and quite devoid of vegetation, we reached Hveravellir, a perfect oasis in the desert. The hot springs and fumaroles occur along a long line of fissure, and warm up the soil of a considerable tract of country in their neighbourhood. The effect on the vegetation is most striking, for a strip of verdant meadow-land occurs in the middle of bare country, covered in many places with snow at the end of June. All the flowers occurring there were in a very forward state, and a large number of different plants were obtained; some spots were yellow with buttercups, and the ground was carpeted with thyme in full bloom.Botrychium lunariaoccurred in quantity, and a very small variety ofOphioglossum vulgatum,O. vulgatum, var.polyphyllum, was found in a warm place.Selaginella spinosawas also abundant.On the edges of this warm tract barren land occurred and in many places snow, so that there was a very sharp contrast between the warm and cold earth; and on the latter thewillows were only just coming into leaf. This tract of country occurs at the edge of the great lava flow from Strytur.Towards Strytur the lava was in places covered by "hummocky ground," which showed the usual features noticed elsewhere.The characteristic plants seem invariably to be:—*Carex vulgaris(rigida), a creeping variety.*Salix lanata.*Salix herbacea.*Cassiope hypnoides.*Empetrum nigrum(very abundant).*Vaccinium uliginosum.Loiseleuria procumbens.Armeria sibirica.Silene acaulis(not very frequent).Bartsia alpina.Pedicularis flammea.*Two or three Lichens, species ofCladonia, and a Moss,Rhacomitrium lanuginosum.Those marked with an asterisk appear to be invariably present, the others are not so constant, but some are usually found.Shortly after leaving Hveravellir the watershed of the island was crossed, and a marked difference in the flora was noticed in the valley, Thjofadal, on the southern side of the ridge, owing no doubt to the much greater rainfall which occurs on this, the south-western, side of the island.Among plants noticed in this region, which had not been met with before, were:—Draba alpina.Cardamine bellidifolia, andRanunculus pygmæus(which grew upright in the valley, but was prostrate and creeping on the surrounding hillsides).Fungoid diseases were very prevalent in the valley, andSaxifraga cæspilosa, which was extremely dwarfed on the high ridges, was in many places badly attacked by a rust fungus.Saxifraga cernuawas also affected by the conditions in this region, for in other localities north of the watershed all the plants were found with the usual terminal flower, but here no terminal flower was developed, and the upright stems bore leaves and bulbils only.Epilobium latifoliumoccurred among the stones in the glacier streams, and a very decumbent form ofEpilobium alpinumwas common on the hillsides.The hills all round were formed of loose morainic matter, the slopes consisting of fine sandy earth with pebbles, and the vegetation is distributed on the hillsides in the form of banks and terraces, thus giving the hills a peculiar appearance with very gentle steps. In some cases the vegetation has spread and grown over the edges of the terraces, and by further growth hummocks have been formed.The formation of hummocky ground on a morainic hillside appears to be somewhat as follows:—If conditions, such as snow-line, wind, etc. (on a bare hillside of sandy and stony ground) permit, isolated plants begin to appear, and collect soil around them by their prostrate habit of growth and with their roots; in consequence of the loose nature of the soil, and owing to the action of snow or water, slipping frequently takes place, and the plants tend to keep up the earth. As the plants spread, terraces get formed and the plants bank up the loose earth, and the mountain-side is then broken up into broad steps. The vegetation continues to grow over the edges of the terraces, and in consequence more soil is collected by the plants, and small mounds result, and later on, if the slope is not too great, true hummocks may be formed. If the slope is steep, the hummocks are usually flat-topped, but this is also often due to snow, wind, etc.The hummocky ground usually seen occurs in fairly level country, and its origin may probably have been somewhat different from that just described; the hummocks are from one to two feet high, and the ruts between are often so narrow that two hummocks have frequently united. The normal breadth of a hummock is from one to two feet across, and it is closely covered byEmpetrumorCassiope, withCarex vulgaris, the MossRhacomitrium lanuginosum, and the other plants already enumerated.Hummocky ground was also met with in meadows at Gilhagi (near Maelifell); here they were covered by grass and other meadow-plants, andSaxifraga cernuagrew in masses in the depressions. These hummocks were on a hillside, and may have been originally formed in the manner already described; but owing to some change in the snow-line, meadow-land plants may have wandered up the hillside, and ousted the characteristic plants of the hummocks.Our journey from Thjofadal to Gránanes lay for the most part over the lava-flows from Strytur, which were covered by a close-growing vegetation, large tussocks of moss, very dwarfSaxifrages,S. cæspitosa,Empetrum,Salix herbacea, and other plants usually found on the hummocks. True hummocks were, however, rare.Near our camp and before the Svatá was reached we came to the end of the lava and crossed a sandy tract, and the usual change in the flora was at once noticeable; large clumps of willows bound the sand together, around which the soil collected, forming mounds, and patches ofArmeria,Arabia petræa,Silene, andArenariawere scattered about. In some places the willows were killed by having been buried in the blown sand.Between Gránanes and Hvitarvatn the country is at first hummocky, and then covered by birch and willow scrub. On the hummocks, especially in the patches of moss,Saxifraga Hirculuswas not uncommon. The large tract of swampy ground at the edge of the lake was covered by masses of cotton grass. Leaving Hvitarvatn our way lay through willow scrub until the Hvitá was reached. After crossing the river the ground was very rough, being composed of morainic matter from the adjacent mountains and covered with large angular blocks of lava. The only flowers growing here wereArenuria,Armeria,ThymusandDryasin isolated patches. As we travelled farther south, the plants were noticed to be taller and more vigorous than those seen in the interior, and the flora was more home-like in character.Juniperus,Betula odorata,Calluna, andArctostaphylos uva ursiwere noticed for the first time.Both birches (B. odorata,B. nana) were very plentiful, and from two to three feet high (in the northB. nanawas only six to nine inches high) willows were not common.Between Sandá and Gullfoss another small desert area was traversed where earth-pillars occurred. The plants were hardly able to exist, as the smaller ones were blown away, and the willows and birches were in many places buried by the blown sand.Around Gullfoss the vegetation was luxuriant,Geum rivale,Geranium sylvaticum, andAlchemilla vulgariscovered the ground, and aboveRubus saxatilisandFrugaria vescawere abundant, whilstArctostaphylos uva ursialso grew in profusion.At Bratholt we reached civilisation again, and were presented with some of the lichen from which the orange dye, still used in the island, is obtained.Between Geysir and Thingvellir we passed through one of the largest forests in the island; the hillsides were covered with birch-bushes, and in places they were quite six feet high; usuallythey did not rise to a height of more than three or four feet, and the topmost branches became entangled in our legs as we rode among the bushes. All four species of birch were noticed, and the scent of the bruised leaves was very pleasant. By way of undergrowth, the ground was carpeted withGeranium sylvaticum,Ranunculus repens, and large patches ofOrchis maculata, etc. It was altogether a beautiful spot, and we spent nearly four hours wending our way through it. The river Bruará runs through the middle of this forest.At ThingvellirGentiana nivaliswas found among other plants.The rarity of blue flowers in the part of the island visited by us, and indeed throughout the island, was very striking, as the only other blue flowers noticed, besides the gentian, were theVeronicas, and theMyosotisandViola tricolorfound at Akureyri, andCampanula rotundifoliaandPleurogyne rotata, which were found on the east coast on the return journey.Gentiana campestrisandG. nivaliswere also found on the west coast.White,pale pink, andyellowwere the common colours, white being the predominant. The three most common orchids,Habenaria albida,Habenaria viridis, andPlantanthera hyperboreawere green and fairly inconspicuous. Perhaps the most striking flowers are the large rose-colouredEpilobium latifolium, which grows on bare islands of stones and black sand in the glacier streams, the yellowSaxifraga Hirculus, andDryas octopetala, which covers vast tracts of country.Between Thingvellir and Keykjavik is an extensiveHeithi, over which we rode rapidly. There appeared to be no features of any special interest, and as the day was very wet it was not possible to study the flora carefully. On the beach at ReykjavikMertensia maritimais a fairly common plant.The hot springs at Hveravellir and other places contain large quantities of algæ, mostly belonging to the blue-green family orCyanophyceæ. Specimens were collected from various springs at Hveravellir, Kerlingarfjöll, and Geysir, and the temperature of the water in which they were growing was carefully recorded. As I was unable to examine them in detail, I sent them to Professor West of Cirencester, who has worked through my material and published a paper on hot-spring algæ in theJournal of Botany,[2]in which he gives a list of all the algæ we brought back from Iceland.The highest temperature at which algæ were found was 85° C. (185° F.). Most of the forms found had not been previously recorded from Iceland, and there was one new species belonging to the genusAulosira,A. thermalis. Full details of these interesting algæ will be found in the paper to which a reference has been given.
CHAPTER XVIITHE NORTHERN FJORDSBortheyri in Hrutafjord was our next port of call. It was by no means an interesting place: the country was low-lying, and the settlement consisted of a few houses only. We left early in the afternoon, and steamed almost due north out of the fjord. When in Hunafloi beyond the promontory that separates Hrutafjord and Mithfjord, we obtained an excellent view, looking straight up Mithfjord, of Eyriks Jökull. Later on, after rounding the promontory of Vatnsnes, and when crossing Hunafjord towards Blonduos, we caught sight of Lang Jökull, and could trace distinctly the line of the ice-field, although nearly seventy miles distant.We anchored opposite Blonduos late in the evening. The settlement consists of a store or two, a few houses, and a church. We did not go ashore, for no boat was available until the sun had set, and it was getting quite dark. It was about a quarter-past nine when the sun descended below the horizon. The sunset effects were very fine—one of those magnificent sights that Iceland is famous for.The Blandá, one of Iceland's largest rivers,discharges its waters into the fjord at Blonduos, which lies at its mouth. The river rises at Lang and Hoff Jökulls, and brings down thence considerable quantities of glacier water, proof of which is the whitish colour of the water of Hunafjord round about Blonduos. Seals were said to abound there; one was seen, I believe, but my own eyes did not fall upon it.Skagastrond was not much more than an hour's sail. The coast hereabouts is not so precipitous as that all round the North-West Peninsula: there is more lowland between the shore and the mountains, which stand back several miles from the coast, and the nature of the country is more undulating. The original level of the lava flows of this peninsula, Hegranes, can be well seen, as we saw it, from the western side of Hunafloi. The land has been much more worn down than has that of the North-West Peninsula, and only comparatively small fragments of the upper flows remain. I went ashore in the afternoon and found the land rather swampy, with peat bogs in places. A very small boy and a dog bigger than the boy both made friendly overtures to me when I was strolling along by the beach; they were both sportively inclined, and engaged in several rough-and-tumble scrambles. There are several small islands in the vicinity whereon the eider duck has its home, and where it brings forth its young during the nesting season in the spring. The eider-duck industry is an increasing one, and year by year the birds are more cared for.We reached Sautharkrokr early the next morning, and after breakfast I went ashore. The town isbuilt under the steeply sloping face of an old moraine, the material of which was brought down the valley at the back of the town; a stream runs down the valley by a channel which it has eroded through the old moraine matter. From a prominent situation above the town I obtained a good view up the Herradsvötn (the left bifurcation of it, that is), where there is a lake several miles long close to the mouth of the river. The lake was no doubt at one time part of Skagafjord, and it is probable that the northerly seas rolling up the fjord met the waters of the river laden with solid particles, and caused the deposition of the detritus and the gradual formation of a bar; the final stages were doubtless the gradual widening of the alluvial dam, and the gradual filling up of one side of the lake itself. Looking up the valley I saw our old friend Maelifellshnukr standing out prominently to the right at a distance of but twenty-five miles. In Sautharkrokr a peculiar dwelling attracted my attention; it was the deck-house of an old wrecked vessel.One of the few wild animals found in Iceland is the blue fox; we had two on board theVesta. Though in a hopeless state of captivity they were quite untamed, and snapped at any one who attempted to be friendly with them.On leaving Sautharkrokr and sailing two or three miles north into Skagafjord, Kolbeinsdalr opened out on the east side. This valley has been fairly well worn down: there is a mass of moraine matter on the sea front, which is cut through by a mountain stream from the Unadal and Myrkar Jökulls. Farther north the valleys of Deildardalr and Unadalr cameinto view. Then we passed between a tuff hill that almost hides Lake Hofthavatn, and Drangey Island, where an outlying Kerling rock (old woman) stands pillar-like beside it; there was a Karl rock (old man) also, but it fell recently. Malmey Island was next passed. The section of this island is peculiar, for a thick stratum of what looks like iron-stone lava lies on the top, then there are two or three layers of basaltic lava with what is apparently sedimentary strata between them, and beneath all there is some tuff. The situation of Lake Hofthavatn is also peculiar. The tuff hill in front of it is connected with the mainland by the merest strips on each side; the hill was no doubt an island not long ago, and the strips of land are beaches washed up by the action of the sea on the north side, and on the south by the effect of the current when the Herradsvötn river is in flood.The entrance to Siglufjord is very fine, and it is remarkable for its bold masses of lava. On the western side the flows are clearly indicated, as also is the peculiar erosion. There are bands of red tuff between some of the lava flows, also several scree slopes and alluvial fans at the foot; on the eastern side there are pyramidal peaks. Inside the fjord and at its head the bold scenery is continued. All this was made brilliant by some wonderful sunset effects later in the evening.
THE NORTHERN FJORDS
Bortheyri in Hrutafjord was our next port of call. It was by no means an interesting place: the country was low-lying, and the settlement consisted of a few houses only. We left early in the afternoon, and steamed almost due north out of the fjord. When in Hunafloi beyond the promontory that separates Hrutafjord and Mithfjord, we obtained an excellent view, looking straight up Mithfjord, of Eyriks Jökull. Later on, after rounding the promontory of Vatnsnes, and when crossing Hunafjord towards Blonduos, we caught sight of Lang Jökull, and could trace distinctly the line of the ice-field, although nearly seventy miles distant.
We anchored opposite Blonduos late in the evening. The settlement consists of a store or two, a few houses, and a church. We did not go ashore, for no boat was available until the sun had set, and it was getting quite dark. It was about a quarter-past nine when the sun descended below the horizon. The sunset effects were very fine—one of those magnificent sights that Iceland is famous for.
The Blandá, one of Iceland's largest rivers,discharges its waters into the fjord at Blonduos, which lies at its mouth. The river rises at Lang and Hoff Jökulls, and brings down thence considerable quantities of glacier water, proof of which is the whitish colour of the water of Hunafjord round about Blonduos. Seals were said to abound there; one was seen, I believe, but my own eyes did not fall upon it.
Skagastrond was not much more than an hour's sail. The coast hereabouts is not so precipitous as that all round the North-West Peninsula: there is more lowland between the shore and the mountains, which stand back several miles from the coast, and the nature of the country is more undulating. The original level of the lava flows of this peninsula, Hegranes, can be well seen, as we saw it, from the western side of Hunafloi. The land has been much more worn down than has that of the North-West Peninsula, and only comparatively small fragments of the upper flows remain. I went ashore in the afternoon and found the land rather swampy, with peat bogs in places. A very small boy and a dog bigger than the boy both made friendly overtures to me when I was strolling along by the beach; they were both sportively inclined, and engaged in several rough-and-tumble scrambles. There are several small islands in the vicinity whereon the eider duck has its home, and where it brings forth its young during the nesting season in the spring. The eider-duck industry is an increasing one, and year by year the birds are more cared for.
We reached Sautharkrokr early the next morning, and after breakfast I went ashore. The town isbuilt under the steeply sloping face of an old moraine, the material of which was brought down the valley at the back of the town; a stream runs down the valley by a channel which it has eroded through the old moraine matter. From a prominent situation above the town I obtained a good view up the Herradsvötn (the left bifurcation of it, that is), where there is a lake several miles long close to the mouth of the river. The lake was no doubt at one time part of Skagafjord, and it is probable that the northerly seas rolling up the fjord met the waters of the river laden with solid particles, and caused the deposition of the detritus and the gradual formation of a bar; the final stages were doubtless the gradual widening of the alluvial dam, and the gradual filling up of one side of the lake itself. Looking up the valley I saw our old friend Maelifellshnukr standing out prominently to the right at a distance of but twenty-five miles. In Sautharkrokr a peculiar dwelling attracted my attention; it was the deck-house of an old wrecked vessel.
One of the few wild animals found in Iceland is the blue fox; we had two on board theVesta. Though in a hopeless state of captivity they were quite untamed, and snapped at any one who attempted to be friendly with them.
On leaving Sautharkrokr and sailing two or three miles north into Skagafjord, Kolbeinsdalr opened out on the east side. This valley has been fairly well worn down: there is a mass of moraine matter on the sea front, which is cut through by a mountain stream from the Unadal and Myrkar Jökulls. Farther north the valleys of Deildardalr and Unadalr cameinto view. Then we passed between a tuff hill that almost hides Lake Hofthavatn, and Drangey Island, where an outlying Kerling rock (old woman) stands pillar-like beside it; there was a Karl rock (old man) also, but it fell recently. Malmey Island was next passed. The section of this island is peculiar, for a thick stratum of what looks like iron-stone lava lies on the top, then there are two or three layers of basaltic lava with what is apparently sedimentary strata between them, and beneath all there is some tuff. The situation of Lake Hofthavatn is also peculiar. The tuff hill in front of it is connected with the mainland by the merest strips on each side; the hill was no doubt an island not long ago, and the strips of land are beaches washed up by the action of the sea on the north side, and on the south by the effect of the current when the Herradsvötn river is in flood.
The entrance to Siglufjord is very fine, and it is remarkable for its bold masses of lava. On the western side the flows are clearly indicated, as also is the peculiar erosion. There are bands of red tuff between some of the lava flows, also several scree slopes and alluvial fans at the foot; on the eastern side there are pyramidal peaks. Inside the fjord and at its head the bold scenery is continued. All this was made brilliant by some wonderful sunset effects later in the evening.
CHAPTER XVIIIACROSS COUNTRY FROM AKUREYRI TO HUSAVIKThe next port at which we touched was Akureyri in Eyjafjord, the place from which we had started several weeks before to cross the island. We arrived at about nine in the morning, and the vessel was timed to stay there two days before departing for Husavik. I had formed the plan that if we reached Akureyri in good time, I would make a two days' trip across country to Husavik, and there pick up the steamer again. Fortune favoured me, for on going on deck to get a boat to take me ashore, where I intended to hunt up a guide and ponies, I came face to face with Sigurthur, one of our guides on the Akureyri-Reykjavik journey. Sigurthur had just come aboard to look for old friends. As he was disengaged as a guide, a few minutes sufficed to arrange with him to act as conductor, and to supply ponies, etc., for the journey, and in a few more he was rowing back to the shore to make arrangements.After breakfast I went ashore to purchase some provisions, etc., and an hour or so after mid-day, all being ready, we started from the Hotel Akureyri with four ponies: two were for riding, one was for thepacks, and there was a spare animal. We proceeded south along the shore of the fjord for about a mile, and then, as the tide was low, we struck off at right angles straight through the water, by that means saving about an hour and a half that would have been required to round the head of the fjord. The distance across was something between a mile and a half and two miles; the water was rather deep in the channels cut by the current from the river, and in one the water reached to the saddle-flaps; but I escaped a wetting by balancing myself on the saddle, with feet tucked up.On the eastern side of Eyjafjord we ascended the steep side of Vathlaheithi by a long gradually-slopingpath to the top, whence we looked down upon Oddeyri, the suburb of Akureyri, whose formation has already been noted. A good view up the valley of the Eyjafjorthará was also obtained, showing the deltaic formation of the river where it enters the head of the fjord. From the top of Vathlaheithi there is a sharp descent by a zigzag road to the valley of the Fjnoská, an excellent specimen of a meandering river, on each side of which there are fine river-terraces. After crossing the river and ascending the terraces, we struck into Ljosavatnskarth. On the south side of this valley I came across a good example of various forms due to erosion. Below the upper lava flows there were some alluvial fans, and below that, cones and river-terraces. Just beyond, we passed along the northern shore of Ljosavatn, and proceeded to the farm-house of the same name, about a mile farther on, where we put up for the night.When coming along the valley I learned the cause of what had sometimes struck me as strange. Towards evening I had often heard children uttering peculiar cries away up valley slopes, and I had imagined that they were calling to one another, but the real reason had never suggested itself to me: by their cries they were directing the dogs to "round up" and drive the milking-sheep to the farm-houses. Towards the end of the summer the sheep recognise the cries, and congregate without much rounding up by the dogs.Next day was an interesting one, and we had fifteen hours in the saddle. Starting at eight in the morning, we did not get through to Husavik till eleven at night. The first point of interest on the day's journey was the Gothafoss, a fine waterfall on theriver Skjalfandafljot, which we reached after proceeding a few miles across some broken lava that was partially covered by a deposit of clayey matter. The fall is split into two main divisions by a hard dyke, and it is probable that the rock on each side of it has different degrees of hardness also, for the water flows over at different levels. The central mass itself has a depression in it, and a narrow stream of water runs through it at much the same level as the higher of the two big divisions. There is another fall a few hundred yards lower down the river, but it is not so impressive, and the height is only about one-fourth that of the other. Just below the second fall, the river is spanned by a bridge—a light wood and iron structure supported on strong pillars built up from the lava beneath. A few hundred yards below the bridge there is a remarkably good example of river erosion: the river has split at a hard dyke, which stands in the middle of the stream resisting the rush of the water.From the bridge we made the gradual ascent to Fljotsheithi, which we crossed, and then descended into Reykjadalr to the farm-house of Einarstathir. In a way, this day's journey was one of the most annoying and tantalising of all I spent in Iceland. Gun I had not, nor ammunition; but I could have counted grouse by the thousand, ducks by hundreds, and golden plover by tens! I could almost have wept had there been time. I did not say very much—if I had, the tears would have been apparent in my voice; but—I thought just about as deeply as the sailor's parrot did. Fljotsheithi, over which we had just come, had been alive with grouse! Just thinkof it—thousands of grouse, and—no gun! From Einarsthathir we followed down the river Reykjadalsá to Helgastathir, crossed it just beyond, and continued down stream, past a number of lakes, the chief of which is known as Vestmannsvatn. The Reykjadalsá flows through these lakes; but from Vestmannsvatn to its confluence with the Laxá it is known as Eyvindarlaekur.Just beyond Muli, which we left on our right, we got upon lava again, and came to the Laxá, which we crossed three times in the course of the day. We made the first crossing at the spot where we first touched it, and it proved to be the widest and deepest fording-place in all the rivers I crossed in Iceland. It was nearly half a mile wide, and I entered without thinking it was very deep; but soon I found otherwise, for the water often reached nearly to the level of my knees. I was very anxious to get across with dry feet, for it was comparatively early in the day, and I knew that we had a long journey before us. I had once suffered from the discomfort of getting my boots filled with water and having to ride for a considerable distance without change, so did not wish to repeat the experience. By tucking up my legs upon the saddle, and balancing somehow, I did get over with dry feet, but my legs were fearfully cramped on reaching the other side. My pony, however, did his best to give me a complete cold bath, for he stumbled and went down on his knees in one of the deepest spots; but I did not lose my balance, and I succeeded in pulling him up without getting more than just a few drops of water in one boot. On we went over lava beside the Laxá for awhile,but the river had to be recrossed a short distance from Nes, a farm-house at which we pulled up for lunch. Here we arranged for fresh ponies to take us to a very fine lava-field a few miles to the north, and induced the farmer to act as guide.LAVA PILLARS NEAR NES.In the lava-field there were many examples of circular vents, through which lava had spurted in times of volcanic activity. These vents were rounded lava excrescences and circular pillars, all of which were hollow inside. They were of somewhat similar formation to two I saw in Vestri-Skarthsheithi on the western side of Iceland, of which I took a photograph. The vegetation hereabouts is that common in decomposing lava, and is chiefly birch scrub. There was an opening in the side of one of the largest vents, through which I was able to crawl with my camera;unfortunately, I misjudged the light, so the negative was much under-exposed, and the view of the interior a complete failure. The country about Nes is dotted over with cones covered with cindery-looking scoria, and having small central depressions; there are hundreds of them, and all around they stick up above the general level of the country. All these cones threw up more or less lava or cindery matter when volcanic activity was in progress.UXAHVER GEYSER IN ERUPTION.On our return to Nes we were met by the farmer's wife, who informed us that during our absenceourponies had got away and were then missing! There was a pretty mess! What were we to do? Abandon them, and go on with the farmer's ponies seemed to be our only resource! Time was pressing and precious, for the light was failing, and to see the Uxahver geysers was one of the objects of my expedition, and—we were still two hours distant from the geysers! While we were discussing the matter, we were overjoyed to see the ponies suddenly come up from between some of the farm outbuildings, followed by the farmer's son, who had been in search of them. We did not waste time then, but saddled up and away; but in less than a quarter of a mile we were brought to a standstill by the river Laxá, at a spot where we were to be ferried over. Of course the ferry-boat was notthere; it was some distance up the river, and had to be sent for. On its arrival, however, there was no further delay, for we crossed at once, and the ponies followed by swimming the river. After saddling up again we set off for Uxahver, taking with us the farmer's son to show the shortest and quickest way to the geysers. We crossed Hvamsheithiand forded the Reykjavisl and a smaller branch stream on the way to Reykir farm-house. On arrival there we saw a quantity of steam rising from several places up the valley, so we hastened towards the desired goal. A stream of hot water runs down the valley from the geysers, which are continually ejecting large volumes of it: the stream's course is indicated by the light clouds of steam that rise from it. We reached the geysers at last, at about seven o'clock, in a bad and failing light. I proceeded at once to the chief of the geysers, Uxahver, and got to work with my camera. Uxahver very obligingly made one or two of its best efforts, and I was fortunate to snap once or twice at the right moment. I also took a shot at it when quiescent, with good result. The next geyser of importance, Bathstovukver, also gave an excellentdisplay that I took advantage of, and the resultant picture gives a better idea of a small geyser in eruption than any of the others.BATHSTOVUKVER GEYSER IN ERUPTION.When I had finished my shots at the geysers, Sigurthur informed me that we were then only about three hours distant from Husavik, where I had to pick up the steamer the next morning. It was not quite eight o'clock, and the ponies seemed to be comparatively fresh after their rest in the middle of the day; so I thought it would be better, and Sigurthur agreed, to push on to Husavik, instead of staying at Reykir till the morning as we had originally intended when uncertain about procuring change ponies for part of the day's work. This arrangement would enable me to get on board without delay, if the weather should prove bad enough in the morningto prevent theVestafrom staying to take in cargo. At Husavik there is an open roadstead, and in stormy weather vessels do not remain long; sometimes they pass without calling at all. Wedidpush on, and the farther we went the fresher the ponies seemed to get, until during the last hour they raced along at their best pace, evidently knowing their way and where they were going. The night was dark—Icould not see the track, so I simply sat tight and let my pony go, without attempting to steer, trusting to him to make the best of the way; this he did at top speed without a single stumble the whole way—a feat that he had not accomplished in broad daylight. We arrived at the hotel at Husavik just at eleven o'clock, after fifteen hours in the saddle. In the earlier part of the day, Sigurthur had several times hinted that what I wanted to do could not be done in the time at our disposal; but I intended to try. So it happened that, with the aid of extra ponies and guides, and by dint of impressing Sigurthur with my determination, he gradually came round to the same view, and at last expressed agreement that itmightbe done if things went smoothly; from that time he made no further suggestion as to the desirableness of "cutting" some part of the journey, and we got through it all successfully.I found the accommodation at the hotel quite good, and at breakfast an excellent meal was served. One of the dishes was "whale"—a thick gelatine kind of stuff, cut from the fin of the whale. I took a small piece and found it almost tasteless.I have omitted previously to note thatskyris one of the articles of food served at all the farm-houses.It is a kind of clotted cream, eaten with powdered sugar, and milk or ordinary cream poured over it. At the hotel at Husavik theskyrwas of the best quality, as indeed it was at most of the farms, though sometimes it had a distinctly peaty flavour that was due to the nature of the surrounding country. Another article of food in general use, which we obtained from time to time from the farm-houses, is a sort of flat pancake introduced by the Danes. It is of a very leathery nature, and we used to tear off pieces as we wanted it, though more often one took a piece of the stuff and offering a corner to another the two would pull it apart. In spite of its leathery qualities, when eaten with butter and jam, and with good appetite as sauce, it is not so bad!
ACROSS COUNTRY FROM AKUREYRI TO HUSAVIK
The next port at which we touched was Akureyri in Eyjafjord, the place from which we had started several weeks before to cross the island. We arrived at about nine in the morning, and the vessel was timed to stay there two days before departing for Husavik. I had formed the plan that if we reached Akureyri in good time, I would make a two days' trip across country to Husavik, and there pick up the steamer again. Fortune favoured me, for on going on deck to get a boat to take me ashore, where I intended to hunt up a guide and ponies, I came face to face with Sigurthur, one of our guides on the Akureyri-Reykjavik journey. Sigurthur had just come aboard to look for old friends. As he was disengaged as a guide, a few minutes sufficed to arrange with him to act as conductor, and to supply ponies, etc., for the journey, and in a few more he was rowing back to the shore to make arrangements.
After breakfast I went ashore to purchase some provisions, etc., and an hour or so after mid-day, all being ready, we started from the Hotel Akureyri with four ponies: two were for riding, one was for thepacks, and there was a spare animal. We proceeded south along the shore of the fjord for about a mile, and then, as the tide was low, we struck off at right angles straight through the water, by that means saving about an hour and a half that would have been required to round the head of the fjord. The distance across was something between a mile and a half and two miles; the water was rather deep in the channels cut by the current from the river, and in one the water reached to the saddle-flaps; but I escaped a wetting by balancing myself on the saddle, with feet tucked up.
On the eastern side of Eyjafjord we ascended the steep side of Vathlaheithi by a long gradually-slopingpath to the top, whence we looked down upon Oddeyri, the suburb of Akureyri, whose formation has already been noted. A good view up the valley of the Eyjafjorthará was also obtained, showing the deltaic formation of the river where it enters the head of the fjord. From the top of Vathlaheithi there is a sharp descent by a zigzag road to the valley of the Fjnoská, an excellent specimen of a meandering river, on each side of which there are fine river-terraces. After crossing the river and ascending the terraces, we struck into Ljosavatnskarth. On the south side of this valley I came across a good example of various forms due to erosion. Below the upper lava flows there were some alluvial fans, and below that, cones and river-terraces. Just beyond, we passed along the northern shore of Ljosavatn, and proceeded to the farm-house of the same name, about a mile farther on, where we put up for the night.
When coming along the valley I learned the cause of what had sometimes struck me as strange. Towards evening I had often heard children uttering peculiar cries away up valley slopes, and I had imagined that they were calling to one another, but the real reason had never suggested itself to me: by their cries they were directing the dogs to "round up" and drive the milking-sheep to the farm-houses. Towards the end of the summer the sheep recognise the cries, and congregate without much rounding up by the dogs.
Next day was an interesting one, and we had fifteen hours in the saddle. Starting at eight in the morning, we did not get through to Husavik till eleven at night. The first point of interest on the day's journey was the Gothafoss, a fine waterfall on theriver Skjalfandafljot, which we reached after proceeding a few miles across some broken lava that was partially covered by a deposit of clayey matter. The fall is split into two main divisions by a hard dyke, and it is probable that the rock on each side of it has different degrees of hardness also, for the water flows over at different levels. The central mass itself has a depression in it, and a narrow stream of water runs through it at much the same level as the higher of the two big divisions. There is another fall a few hundred yards lower down the river, but it is not so impressive, and the height is only about one-fourth that of the other. Just below the second fall, the river is spanned by a bridge—a light wood and iron structure supported on strong pillars built up from the lava beneath. A few hundred yards below the bridge there is a remarkably good example of river erosion: the river has split at a hard dyke, which stands in the middle of the stream resisting the rush of the water.
From the bridge we made the gradual ascent to Fljotsheithi, which we crossed, and then descended into Reykjadalr to the farm-house of Einarstathir. In a way, this day's journey was one of the most annoying and tantalising of all I spent in Iceland. Gun I had not, nor ammunition; but I could have counted grouse by the thousand, ducks by hundreds, and golden plover by tens! I could almost have wept had there been time. I did not say very much—if I had, the tears would have been apparent in my voice; but—I thought just about as deeply as the sailor's parrot did. Fljotsheithi, over which we had just come, had been alive with grouse! Just thinkof it—thousands of grouse, and—no gun! From Einarsthathir we followed down the river Reykjadalsá to Helgastathir, crossed it just beyond, and continued down stream, past a number of lakes, the chief of which is known as Vestmannsvatn. The Reykjadalsá flows through these lakes; but from Vestmannsvatn to its confluence with the Laxá it is known as Eyvindarlaekur.
Just beyond Muli, which we left on our right, we got upon lava again, and came to the Laxá, which we crossed three times in the course of the day. We made the first crossing at the spot where we first touched it, and it proved to be the widest and deepest fording-place in all the rivers I crossed in Iceland. It was nearly half a mile wide, and I entered without thinking it was very deep; but soon I found otherwise, for the water often reached nearly to the level of my knees. I was very anxious to get across with dry feet, for it was comparatively early in the day, and I knew that we had a long journey before us. I had once suffered from the discomfort of getting my boots filled with water and having to ride for a considerable distance without change, so did not wish to repeat the experience. By tucking up my legs upon the saddle, and balancing somehow, I did get over with dry feet, but my legs were fearfully cramped on reaching the other side. My pony, however, did his best to give me a complete cold bath, for he stumbled and went down on his knees in one of the deepest spots; but I did not lose my balance, and I succeeded in pulling him up without getting more than just a few drops of water in one boot. On we went over lava beside the Laxá for awhile,but the river had to be recrossed a short distance from Nes, a farm-house at which we pulled up for lunch. Here we arranged for fresh ponies to take us to a very fine lava-field a few miles to the north, and induced the farmer to act as guide.
LAVA PILLARS NEAR NES.
LAVA PILLARS NEAR NES.
LAVA PILLARS NEAR NES.
In the lava-field there were many examples of circular vents, through which lava had spurted in times of volcanic activity. These vents were rounded lava excrescences and circular pillars, all of which were hollow inside. They were of somewhat similar formation to two I saw in Vestri-Skarthsheithi on the western side of Iceland, of which I took a photograph. The vegetation hereabouts is that common in decomposing lava, and is chiefly birch scrub. There was an opening in the side of one of the largest vents, through which I was able to crawl with my camera;unfortunately, I misjudged the light, so the negative was much under-exposed, and the view of the interior a complete failure. The country about Nes is dotted over with cones covered with cindery-looking scoria, and having small central depressions; there are hundreds of them, and all around they stick up above the general level of the country. All these cones threw up more or less lava or cindery matter when volcanic activity was in progress.
UXAHVER GEYSER IN ERUPTION.
UXAHVER GEYSER IN ERUPTION.
UXAHVER GEYSER IN ERUPTION.
On our return to Nes we were met by the farmer's wife, who informed us that during our absenceourponies had got away and were then missing! There was a pretty mess! What were we to do? Abandon them, and go on with the farmer's ponies seemed to be our only resource! Time was pressing and precious, for the light was failing, and to see the Uxahver geysers was one of the objects of my expedition, and—we were still two hours distant from the geysers! While we were discussing the matter, we were overjoyed to see the ponies suddenly come up from between some of the farm outbuildings, followed by the farmer's son, who had been in search of them. We did not waste time then, but saddled up and away; but in less than a quarter of a mile we were brought to a standstill by the river Laxá, at a spot where we were to be ferried over. Of course the ferry-boat was notthere; it was some distance up the river, and had to be sent for. On its arrival, however, there was no further delay, for we crossed at once, and the ponies followed by swimming the river. After saddling up again we set off for Uxahver, taking with us the farmer's son to show the shortest and quickest way to the geysers. We crossed Hvamsheithiand forded the Reykjavisl and a smaller branch stream on the way to Reykir farm-house. On arrival there we saw a quantity of steam rising from several places up the valley, so we hastened towards the desired goal. A stream of hot water runs down the valley from the geysers, which are continually ejecting large volumes of it: the stream's course is indicated by the light clouds of steam that rise from it. We reached the geysers at last, at about seven o'clock, in a bad and failing light. I proceeded at once to the chief of the geysers, Uxahver, and got to work with my camera. Uxahver very obligingly made one or two of its best efforts, and I was fortunate to snap once or twice at the right moment. I also took a shot at it when quiescent, with good result. The next geyser of importance, Bathstovukver, also gave an excellentdisplay that I took advantage of, and the resultant picture gives a better idea of a small geyser in eruption than any of the others.
BATHSTOVUKVER GEYSER IN ERUPTION.
BATHSTOVUKVER GEYSER IN ERUPTION.
BATHSTOVUKVER GEYSER IN ERUPTION.
When I had finished my shots at the geysers, Sigurthur informed me that we were then only about three hours distant from Husavik, where I had to pick up the steamer the next morning. It was not quite eight o'clock, and the ponies seemed to be comparatively fresh after their rest in the middle of the day; so I thought it would be better, and Sigurthur agreed, to push on to Husavik, instead of staying at Reykir till the morning as we had originally intended when uncertain about procuring change ponies for part of the day's work. This arrangement would enable me to get on board without delay, if the weather should prove bad enough in the morningto prevent theVestafrom staying to take in cargo. At Husavik there is an open roadstead, and in stormy weather vessels do not remain long; sometimes they pass without calling at all. Wedidpush on, and the farther we went the fresher the ponies seemed to get, until during the last hour they raced along at their best pace, evidently knowing their way and where they were going. The night was dark—Icould not see the track, so I simply sat tight and let my pony go, without attempting to steer, trusting to him to make the best of the way; this he did at top speed without a single stumble the whole way—a feat that he had not accomplished in broad daylight. We arrived at the hotel at Husavik just at eleven o'clock, after fifteen hours in the saddle. In the earlier part of the day, Sigurthur had several times hinted that what I wanted to do could not be done in the time at our disposal; but I intended to try. So it happened that, with the aid of extra ponies and guides, and by dint of impressing Sigurthur with my determination, he gradually came round to the same view, and at last expressed agreement that itmightbe done if things went smoothly; from that time he made no further suggestion as to the desirableness of "cutting" some part of the journey, and we got through it all successfully.
I found the accommodation at the hotel quite good, and at breakfast an excellent meal was served. One of the dishes was "whale"—a thick gelatine kind of stuff, cut from the fin of the whale. I took a small piece and found it almost tasteless.
I have omitted previously to note thatskyris one of the articles of food served at all the farm-houses.It is a kind of clotted cream, eaten with powdered sugar, and milk or ordinary cream poured over it. At the hotel at Husavik theskyrwas of the best quality, as indeed it was at most of the farms, though sometimes it had a distinctly peaty flavour that was due to the nature of the surrounding country. Another article of food in general use, which we obtained from time to time from the farm-houses, is a sort of flat pancake introduced by the Danes. It is of a very leathery nature, and we used to tear off pieces as we wanted it, though more often one took a piece of the stuff and offering a corner to another the two would pull it apart. In spite of its leathery qualities, when eaten with butter and jam, and with good appetite as sauce, it is not so bad!
CHAPTER XIXTHE EASTERN FJORDSTheVestawas late in arrival, and as the taking in of cargo occupied several hours, we did not get away from Husavik till the afternoon; we then headed straight for the Arctic Circle, passing the island of Lundey on the way out of Skjalfandi. When we entered within the Arctic Circle in the evening, the atmospheric conditions and the temperature were in keeping with our position on the earth's surface, for it was cold and bleak, and the night promised to be a dirty one; but the weather during the night was not so bad after all, and when I awoke in the morning it was to find the sunshine streaming into my cabin through the open port.At Vopnafjord we remained from early morning till late at night. We climbed the hills at the back of the town and made our way over towards Nypsfjord. From an elevated spot we obtained a view looking into that fjord. It was not a scene of striking beauty, but I was interested to see that the entrance to the inner fjord was narrowed considerably by a spit that extended well into it, perhaps two-thirds across. This had been formed, asusual, by the sea beating in and banking up the detritus brought down by the river, the Vestradalsá. Up there on the rises I succeeded in stalking some sheep and in photographing them. I had tried several times before, but had always failed. Nearly all the sheep in Iceland are horned, while most of the cattle are without horns. There were several things of interest in Vopnafjord that I photographed—the interior of a cod-fish store being one of them; another was the home of "Socrates," a notification to that effect being prominent on the front of the house. There were several stores on a point near the middle of the town, and in front of them there were about a dozen fish-drying grids lying on the slope of the beach. Here at Vopnafjord we found the people to be most curious regarding us and our movements. It was Sunday, and having nothing to do, they displayed to the fullest extent the Icelander's worst characteristic, that of staring hard and persistently.In the afternoon while cargo was being taken in, a little mild excitement was caused by the capsizing of nine bales of wool into the water, and by their subsequent rescue from drifting out to sea by a boat that went in pursuit.Before departing from Vopnafjord we had an invasion of Icelanders. They came on board, boatloads at a time; the smoking-room was soon full of them, and there were crowds on deck. I was writing in a recess just above the companion-way to the saloon; small crowds descended by it to the regions below and did not reappear—goodness knows where they managed to stow themselves. A fellow-passengercame up from a visit to his cabin and informed me that he had stumbled over two of the Icelanders, who had taken possession of his cabin. Helvit!—to use the mild Icelandic swear-word—what about mine? I went down to see what was going on inmycabin, and returned on deck breathing more freely (in two ways!), for I found that my cabin companion had early taken possession and had so far kept out all invaders, in spite of repeated attacks upon his stronghold. The atmosphere below was becoming quite oppressive, and one could almost have cut out a chunk of it!—hence, as I have stated, I breathed more freely on deck. But it occurred to me that if I took possession of my own bunk, I could help my companion in resisting future attacks of the enemy; so I went down again."There's a cry and a shout, and a deuce of a rout" going on generally, for we had arrived at Seythisfjord, and the invading horde was preparing to leave the vessel—it had come to take part in the ceremony of unveiling a monument that was to be performed that day, and to enjoy the subsequent festivities and gaieties. The trampling of feet above informed me that the natives were congregating round the companion-ladder. I shoved my head through the port-hole, and there, but a few yards off, were two or three boats. One was just pulling away very fully laden, another was loading up with passengers, and a third awaiting its turn to take on its human cargo. I went to my tub, and so, for a few minutes, escaped from the noise.During breakfast I listened to the tales of woe as related by my fellow-passengers. One had had fourof the natives camped in his cabin. In the morning they severally made use of his sponge and soap in performing their ablutions, while his tooth-brush only just escaped service. Whatever of his effects were lying loose about his cabin were subjected to inspection and examination: a bottle of "Elliman's" was uncorked and smelt, and the Icelanders seemed inclined to taste, but in their discretion refrained; had they but tested its virtues, they would no doubt have found it a most excellent pick-me-up. After performing his own toilet he went on deck, but on returning to his cabin a few minutes later, found two women in possession, and busy at his wash-basin. My fellow-passenger was a man who did not object to cleanliness in a general way, but for the native Icelander, both sexes, to take possession of his cabin and make use of his toilet things, was too much for his nerves. If he did not take a leaf out of the Icelanders' book and make use of their swear-word, Helvit! it was only because he was a clergyman; but I have no doubt that he thought that and much more of a similar kind!Another passenger reported that he had lost one of his native companions in a very extraordinary way. I must state that some of the Icelanders have the disgusting habit of spitting in all sorts of places, and they are not, as a rule, particular where—to them the whole world is a spittoon! This passenger stated that he had found a big Icelander in his cabin the night before, who remarked that he was going to sleep there, and immediately afterwards made some noisy throaty sounds, inquiring where he could spit. On being informed that it was not customary for anybodyto spit anywhere in a cabin, and that there was no place wherehecould do so, he looked surprised and expressed himself to that effect. Much to this passenger's relief, the Icelander then took himself off from the cabin, and was seen there no more. No doubt the native had found some spot where he was able to indulge his habit to his heart's content.I went ashore after breakfast, and landed just in time to see a procession of Icelanders and others. The occasion was the unveiling of a memorial stone that had been erected by the inhabitants of Seythisfjord and the surrounding country to the memory of a Norwegian, one Otto Andreas Wathue, who died in 1898. This man had been instrumental in making Seythisfjord a place of considerable importance, and its prosperity was due entirely to him.THE PROCESSION AT SEYTHISFJORD.The ceremony had drawn to Seythisfjord all the notabilities of the neighbourhood, as well as others from the near fjords, and a few from such distant places as Akureyri; it had also drawn thither two Danish men-of-war, and there were in port three vessels belonging to the United Steamship Company: theCeres, theVesta, and another. Some of the chief of the officers from the war-ships attended in their official capacity, while others from the Company's three vessels also attended the ceremony; several joined in the procession, which started from the veiled monument at the head of the fjord near the heart of the town. The Norwegian, Wathue, had lived on the south side of the fjord in a large house about a mile from the monument, and there the widow still lived. The procession made its way along the road by the side of the fjord, and then passed the house, where everybodysaluted the widow, who, with her relatives and a few friends, was a spectator from an elevated grass plat. I was standing just beside the house taking snap-shots. My picture shows the head of the procession: some of the leading figures may be seen in the act of saluting the party assembled on the grass in front of the house. The procession halted a short distance beyond, and then returned to the starting-point at the monument, round which the members of it congregated. The ceremony of unveiling was performed after some speechifying had been got through and several poems, composed by Icelandic poets for the occasion, had been recited or sung. Those assembled then adjourned to the fête ground on the other side of the river, where dancing and runningand other athletic sports were carried on during the rest of the day, and where fireworks were displayed in the evening. I took several photographs on the outskirts of the crowd round the monument while the ceremony of unveiling was going on; in them are two young women attired in the national costume. One is dressed in white and the other in a dark dress, but both have on the peculiar national state headdress.SEYTHISFJORD—ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CROWD ROUND THE MONUMENT.We called at Northfjord in the early morning, and after less than an hour there, set sail for Eskefjord, arriving there just before breakfast-time. Though we remained for several hours, I did not get ashore, for there was so much uncertainty about the time of departure that we might have started at any moment; there was also the usual difficulty of getting a boat.Faskruthsfjord is a very picturesque place; bold and peculiarly shaped mountains are all around. A liparite and tuff mountain on the southern side is noticeable chiefly for the inclined strata that lie upon its southern slopes. Behind the town a huge pyramid (a fine example of the result of denudation) towers high above. Faskruthsfjord is the chief resort of the French fishermen who carry on their avocation on the coast of Iceland, and though there are a few Icelanders in the settlement, yet the greater number are French.During the latter part of the voyage we had a passenger, an Englishwoman, lying dangerously ill. The doctor from ashore, an Icelander, came on board here to see her, as other doctors had at other ports of call; but he did not go away decently as the others had—no, he remained on board drinking and smoking, and talking at the top of his voice, with a number of men from shore, the carousal being carried on just outside the cabin-door of his patient! A specimen of the customs of the country as observed by at leastoneIcelander!Our last port of call in Iceland was in Berufjord, where we arrived at about six in the morning. As it was rainy and misty, I could not well judge of the scenery. It looked an interesting place, and there were several sharp conical peaks showing dimly through the thick atmosphere. We put to sea about an hour later, in weather that promised to be blowy, and the promise was fulfilled, for we were soon in a fairly heavy sea, which increased as the day wore on; it continued bad until we approached the Faroes next day, when it cleared up, and we had bright, fine weather while amongst those islands.We obtained excellent views of the various headlands at the north end of the Faroes; it was noticeable that all had perpendicular precipices facing the north, where the sea is continually at work eroding their bases. We passed through Kalsofjord, the channel between the island of Kalso on the west and those of Kuno and Bordo on the east. The islands have many corries, soft dykes, and mountains of pyramidal shape. There are several villages most picturesquely situated in the valleys and corries, but as we steamed along in mid channel we were not near enough for the camera to be of service.We reached Thorshavn in the early afternoon, so I went ashore for an hour to have another look at the picturesque town and at the Faroese. In the evening we set sail for Leith.FAREWELL FAROESE!
THE EASTERN FJORDS
TheVestawas late in arrival, and as the taking in of cargo occupied several hours, we did not get away from Husavik till the afternoon; we then headed straight for the Arctic Circle, passing the island of Lundey on the way out of Skjalfandi. When we entered within the Arctic Circle in the evening, the atmospheric conditions and the temperature were in keeping with our position on the earth's surface, for it was cold and bleak, and the night promised to be a dirty one; but the weather during the night was not so bad after all, and when I awoke in the morning it was to find the sunshine streaming into my cabin through the open port.
At Vopnafjord we remained from early morning till late at night. We climbed the hills at the back of the town and made our way over towards Nypsfjord. From an elevated spot we obtained a view looking into that fjord. It was not a scene of striking beauty, but I was interested to see that the entrance to the inner fjord was narrowed considerably by a spit that extended well into it, perhaps two-thirds across. This had been formed, asusual, by the sea beating in and banking up the detritus brought down by the river, the Vestradalsá. Up there on the rises I succeeded in stalking some sheep and in photographing them. I had tried several times before, but had always failed. Nearly all the sheep in Iceland are horned, while most of the cattle are without horns. There were several things of interest in Vopnafjord that I photographed—the interior of a cod-fish store being one of them; another was the home of "Socrates," a notification to that effect being prominent on the front of the house. There were several stores on a point near the middle of the town, and in front of them there were about a dozen fish-drying grids lying on the slope of the beach. Here at Vopnafjord we found the people to be most curious regarding us and our movements. It was Sunday, and having nothing to do, they displayed to the fullest extent the Icelander's worst characteristic, that of staring hard and persistently.
In the afternoon while cargo was being taken in, a little mild excitement was caused by the capsizing of nine bales of wool into the water, and by their subsequent rescue from drifting out to sea by a boat that went in pursuit.
Before departing from Vopnafjord we had an invasion of Icelanders. They came on board, boatloads at a time; the smoking-room was soon full of them, and there were crowds on deck. I was writing in a recess just above the companion-way to the saloon; small crowds descended by it to the regions below and did not reappear—goodness knows where they managed to stow themselves. A fellow-passengercame up from a visit to his cabin and informed me that he had stumbled over two of the Icelanders, who had taken possession of his cabin. Helvit!—to use the mild Icelandic swear-word—what about mine? I went down to see what was going on inmycabin, and returned on deck breathing more freely (in two ways!), for I found that my cabin companion had early taken possession and had so far kept out all invaders, in spite of repeated attacks upon his stronghold. The atmosphere below was becoming quite oppressive, and one could almost have cut out a chunk of it!—hence, as I have stated, I breathed more freely on deck. But it occurred to me that if I took possession of my own bunk, I could help my companion in resisting future attacks of the enemy; so I went down again.
"There's a cry and a shout, and a deuce of a rout" going on generally, for we had arrived at Seythisfjord, and the invading horde was preparing to leave the vessel—it had come to take part in the ceremony of unveiling a monument that was to be performed that day, and to enjoy the subsequent festivities and gaieties. The trampling of feet above informed me that the natives were congregating round the companion-ladder. I shoved my head through the port-hole, and there, but a few yards off, were two or three boats. One was just pulling away very fully laden, another was loading up with passengers, and a third awaiting its turn to take on its human cargo. I went to my tub, and so, for a few minutes, escaped from the noise.
During breakfast I listened to the tales of woe as related by my fellow-passengers. One had had fourof the natives camped in his cabin. In the morning they severally made use of his sponge and soap in performing their ablutions, while his tooth-brush only just escaped service. Whatever of his effects were lying loose about his cabin were subjected to inspection and examination: a bottle of "Elliman's" was uncorked and smelt, and the Icelanders seemed inclined to taste, but in their discretion refrained; had they but tested its virtues, they would no doubt have found it a most excellent pick-me-up. After performing his own toilet he went on deck, but on returning to his cabin a few minutes later, found two women in possession, and busy at his wash-basin. My fellow-passenger was a man who did not object to cleanliness in a general way, but for the native Icelander, both sexes, to take possession of his cabin and make use of his toilet things, was too much for his nerves. If he did not take a leaf out of the Icelanders' book and make use of their swear-word, Helvit! it was only because he was a clergyman; but I have no doubt that he thought that and much more of a similar kind!
Another passenger reported that he had lost one of his native companions in a very extraordinary way. I must state that some of the Icelanders have the disgusting habit of spitting in all sorts of places, and they are not, as a rule, particular where—to them the whole world is a spittoon! This passenger stated that he had found a big Icelander in his cabin the night before, who remarked that he was going to sleep there, and immediately afterwards made some noisy throaty sounds, inquiring where he could spit. On being informed that it was not customary for anybodyto spit anywhere in a cabin, and that there was no place wherehecould do so, he looked surprised and expressed himself to that effect. Much to this passenger's relief, the Icelander then took himself off from the cabin, and was seen there no more. No doubt the native had found some spot where he was able to indulge his habit to his heart's content.
I went ashore after breakfast, and landed just in time to see a procession of Icelanders and others. The occasion was the unveiling of a memorial stone that had been erected by the inhabitants of Seythisfjord and the surrounding country to the memory of a Norwegian, one Otto Andreas Wathue, who died in 1898. This man had been instrumental in making Seythisfjord a place of considerable importance, and its prosperity was due entirely to him.
THE PROCESSION AT SEYTHISFJORD.
THE PROCESSION AT SEYTHISFJORD.
THE PROCESSION AT SEYTHISFJORD.
The ceremony had drawn to Seythisfjord all the notabilities of the neighbourhood, as well as others from the near fjords, and a few from such distant places as Akureyri; it had also drawn thither two Danish men-of-war, and there were in port three vessels belonging to the United Steamship Company: theCeres, theVesta, and another. Some of the chief of the officers from the war-ships attended in their official capacity, while others from the Company's three vessels also attended the ceremony; several joined in the procession, which started from the veiled monument at the head of the fjord near the heart of the town. The Norwegian, Wathue, had lived on the south side of the fjord in a large house about a mile from the monument, and there the widow still lived. The procession made its way along the road by the side of the fjord, and then passed the house, where everybodysaluted the widow, who, with her relatives and a few friends, was a spectator from an elevated grass plat. I was standing just beside the house taking snap-shots. My picture shows the head of the procession: some of the leading figures may be seen in the act of saluting the party assembled on the grass in front of the house. The procession halted a short distance beyond, and then returned to the starting-point at the monument, round which the members of it congregated. The ceremony of unveiling was performed after some speechifying had been got through and several poems, composed by Icelandic poets for the occasion, had been recited or sung. Those assembled then adjourned to the fête ground on the other side of the river, where dancing and runningand other athletic sports were carried on during the rest of the day, and where fireworks were displayed in the evening. I took several photographs on the outskirts of the crowd round the monument while the ceremony of unveiling was going on; in them are two young women attired in the national costume. One is dressed in white and the other in a dark dress, but both have on the peculiar national state headdress.
SEYTHISFJORD—ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CROWD ROUND THE MONUMENT.
SEYTHISFJORD—ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CROWD ROUND THE MONUMENT.
SEYTHISFJORD—ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CROWD ROUND THE MONUMENT.
We called at Northfjord in the early morning, and after less than an hour there, set sail for Eskefjord, arriving there just before breakfast-time. Though we remained for several hours, I did not get ashore, for there was so much uncertainty about the time of departure that we might have started at any moment; there was also the usual difficulty of getting a boat.
Faskruthsfjord is a very picturesque place; bold and peculiarly shaped mountains are all around. A liparite and tuff mountain on the southern side is noticeable chiefly for the inclined strata that lie upon its southern slopes. Behind the town a huge pyramid (a fine example of the result of denudation) towers high above. Faskruthsfjord is the chief resort of the French fishermen who carry on their avocation on the coast of Iceland, and though there are a few Icelanders in the settlement, yet the greater number are French.
During the latter part of the voyage we had a passenger, an Englishwoman, lying dangerously ill. The doctor from ashore, an Icelander, came on board here to see her, as other doctors had at other ports of call; but he did not go away decently as the others had—no, he remained on board drinking and smoking, and talking at the top of his voice, with a number of men from shore, the carousal being carried on just outside the cabin-door of his patient! A specimen of the customs of the country as observed by at leastoneIcelander!
Our last port of call in Iceland was in Berufjord, where we arrived at about six in the morning. As it was rainy and misty, I could not well judge of the scenery. It looked an interesting place, and there were several sharp conical peaks showing dimly through the thick atmosphere. We put to sea about an hour later, in weather that promised to be blowy, and the promise was fulfilled, for we were soon in a fairly heavy sea, which increased as the day wore on; it continued bad until we approached the Faroes next day, when it cleared up, and we had bright, fine weather while amongst those islands.
We obtained excellent views of the various headlands at the north end of the Faroes; it was noticeable that all had perpendicular precipices facing the north, where the sea is continually at work eroding their bases. We passed through Kalsofjord, the channel between the island of Kalso on the west and those of Kuno and Bordo on the east. The islands have many corries, soft dykes, and mountains of pyramidal shape. There are several villages most picturesquely situated in the valleys and corries, but as we steamed along in mid channel we were not near enough for the camera to be of service.
We reached Thorshavn in the early afternoon, so I went ashore for an hour to have another look at the picturesque town and at the Faroese. In the evening we set sail for Leith.
FAREWELL FAROESE!
FAREWELL FAROESE!
FAREWELL FAROESE!
APPENDIX INOTES ON PLANTS COLLECTED IN THE FAROES AND ICELANDBy A. W. HILL, M.A.The decumbent character of the vegetation and the practical absence of trees form the most striking features of the flora in both the Faroes and Iceland. In the Faroes the steep and rocky hillsides are very exposed and wind swept, and the vegetation is in consequence characteristically dwarfed, and most plants raise themselves but little above the general level of the grass.The dwarfed habit was well shown by some plants, such asOrchis maculata, which was very common on the slopes, and was only a few inches high. The inflorescences did not, as a rule, bear more than five to ten flowers, which, however, were large and pale in colour. The ovaries in many cases were not twisted, so that the labellum was consequently uppermost.Another example of the effect of the conditions on the vegetation was afforded by the dandelionTaraxacum deus leonis, which exhibited the prostrate habit exceedingly well, for in order to protect the flowers from the wind, the flower scapes were bent over and laid parallel to the surface of the ground and the inflorescence was exposed to the light by a right-angled bend of the scape just below the head of the flowers. The inflorescence was by this means protected from the wind by being kept just below the general level of the vegetation.Cardamine pratensiswas also influenced in a similar way on the lower slopes, but at higher altitudes plants were found bearing single radical flowers on short stalks instead of the usual raceme.We proceeded to Akureyri in the north of Iceland by way of the east coast, and it was interesting to notice the difference in the condition of the vegetation on the northern and eastern shores of the island. On the east coast, at Seythis-and Vopnafjords, the plants were stunted and for the most part only in bud; but in the north, at Husavik and Akureyri, similar plants were much earlier, and were not only in full flower, but were also much less stunted, and showed a more robust growth than those found on the eastern side. For example,Plantanthera hyperborea, which was in tight bud on the east coast, and alsoThymusand other plants, were in full flower at Husavik.Thalictrum alpinum, which grows abundantly all over the hillsides, was found to be attacked by the æcidial stage of one of the rust fungi,Puccinia septentrionalis;[1]and at Seythisfjord, where it was especially noticed, it was found that only the topmost leaflets were affected, that is to say, only those leaflets which protruded above the general level of the vegetation, and which were in consequence infected by wind-blown spores. At Seythisfjord the leaflets were only slightly attacked, the fungus being in a young state; but at Husavik it was much more advanced, and the hypertrophied purple tissues were very conspicuous. The effect often extended some way down the petioles.The case of the fungus is a further example of the greater forwardness of the plants in the north.There can be no doubt that the characteristics of the east coast vegetation are due to the prevalence of cold winds and the occurrence of cold currents.Whilst crossing the island several interesting features of the vegetation were noticed. Between Akureyri and our first camp (Thverá) several "forests" were passed through, consisting ofBetula nana,Vaccinium uliginosum, and Willows,Salix lanataandS. glaucarising to a height of from nine to eighteen inches, with an undergrowth of other small plants.The hillsides all round were covered byDryas octopetala, which was by far the commonest plant in the northern half of the island, and it was abundant also on the east coast.Travelling along the Oxnadal and then turning off towards Silfrastathir,Dryasat first was the most conspicuous feature of the vegetation covering the rocky moraines and talus slopes; but about three miles from the head of the valley theDryaswas replaced byCerastium alpinumandPotentilla maculata, which then in their turn became the dominant plants for a considerable distance. As we traversed the island we kept passing through well-marked zones of different plants, whose limits seemed largely to be determined by the character of the soil.After crossing the "col" some very rough screes were passed, on which the Iceland poppy,P. nudicaule, was growing abundantly. The screes were formed of rough angular blocks with very little soil between them, and the poppy was only growing in the most barren spots; where moraines occurred the poppy did not grow. It was also found on the stony ground by the river at Silfrastathir.The hillsides were covered in many places by large tracts ofEquisetum(E. arvenseandE. pratense). The various species of the Equisetaceæ seem to be among some of the commonest plants of the island. The swampy regions by the rivers are covered withEquisetumandScirpus cæspitosus; and they are very abundant on the mountains.From the river until we reached Gilhagi, the flora showed no features of any particular note; but a meadow there with large plants ofSaxifraga cernuain full flower was a very beautiful sight.On ascending from Gilhagi a change in the flora was gradually seen. After about 2000 feetPedicularis flammeaappeared and became common; on the lower slopes the leaves were green and the plants tall, but at greater elevations the plants became short and stunted, with deep red leaves. The high ground was very much broken up, being of a deep hummocky character and covered by a dwarfed growth of Willows,Empetrum, Mosses, etc.Passing over ground from which the snow had just melted, the willows were found to be either still quite bare or just coming out into leaf, but everywhere in such barren places cones ofEquisetumwere seen sticking up on pale brown stalks some six inches above the soil; the sterile green shoots do not grow up until some time after the appearance of the cones.All around Athalmansvatn the ground was very hummocky, the mounds being from a foot to eighteen inches high, with narrow depressions or ruts between. The elevation of this region was about 2500 feet, and as the snow had only recently melted, everything was in consequence backward,Thalictrumand willows, etc., not yet being in flower.Leaving Athalmansvatn a large tract of hummocky ground was crossed, covered chiefly byCassiope hypnoides,Empetrum,Willows,Salix lanataandS. herbacea, Grey Lichens, such asCladonia, and Mosses. After this our route lay across a piece of the northern desert land orSandr, which is a barren, sandy, and stony expanse. The soil was a light brownish loam, and was easily blown about by the wind, and scattered all over it were large angular or rounded blocks of stone.Arabis petræawas the only plant occurring in any quantity over this region, and it formed a very conspicuous feature in the landscape, growing in rosettes closely adpressed to the soil with the racemes of flowers growing out horizontally.As we travelled on in a southerly direction,Silene acaulisappeared and then a little thrift,Armeria sibirica, and theArabisbecame less frequent. Here the soil was more sandy, and the strong wind blew clouds of dust. Still farther south,Armeriareigned supreme over the desert; but occasional patches containingSilene acaulis,Potentilla,Cerastium alpinum, andSilene maritimaoccurred. Where the soil became more loamy,Arabis petræaagain came in. At the edge of the desert the willows were seen encroaching on the sand, and soon a willow and birch (Betula nana) scrub was passed through, which in its turn gave place to moister land withEmpetrum,Pedicularis flammea, etc.Near Blandá,Salir phyllicifoliawas noticed for the first time. A good deal of hummocky ground was also passed over, and its characteristic and invariable features were noticed (v. later).After passing over very rough morainic ground with snow still lying in patches and quite devoid of vegetation, we reached Hveravellir, a perfect oasis in the desert. The hot springs and fumaroles occur along a long line of fissure, and warm up the soil of a considerable tract of country in their neighbourhood. The effect on the vegetation is most striking, for a strip of verdant meadow-land occurs in the middle of bare country, covered in many places with snow at the end of June. All the flowers occurring there were in a very forward state, and a large number of different plants were obtained; some spots were yellow with buttercups, and the ground was carpeted with thyme in full bloom.Botrychium lunariaoccurred in quantity, and a very small variety ofOphioglossum vulgatum,O. vulgatum, var.polyphyllum, was found in a warm place.Selaginella spinosawas also abundant.On the edges of this warm tract barren land occurred and in many places snow, so that there was a very sharp contrast between the warm and cold earth; and on the latter thewillows were only just coming into leaf. This tract of country occurs at the edge of the great lava flow from Strytur.Towards Strytur the lava was in places covered by "hummocky ground," which showed the usual features noticed elsewhere.The characteristic plants seem invariably to be:—*Carex vulgaris(rigida), a creeping variety.*Salix lanata.*Salix herbacea.*Cassiope hypnoides.*Empetrum nigrum(very abundant).*Vaccinium uliginosum.Loiseleuria procumbens.Armeria sibirica.Silene acaulis(not very frequent).Bartsia alpina.Pedicularis flammea.*Two or three Lichens, species ofCladonia, and a Moss,Rhacomitrium lanuginosum.Those marked with an asterisk appear to be invariably present, the others are not so constant, but some are usually found.Shortly after leaving Hveravellir the watershed of the island was crossed, and a marked difference in the flora was noticed in the valley, Thjofadal, on the southern side of the ridge, owing no doubt to the much greater rainfall which occurs on this, the south-western, side of the island.Among plants noticed in this region, which had not been met with before, were:—Draba alpina.Cardamine bellidifolia, andRanunculus pygmæus(which grew upright in the valley, but was prostrate and creeping on the surrounding hillsides).Fungoid diseases were very prevalent in the valley, andSaxifraga cæspilosa, which was extremely dwarfed on the high ridges, was in many places badly attacked by a rust fungus.Saxifraga cernuawas also affected by the conditions in this region, for in other localities north of the watershed all the plants were found with the usual terminal flower, but here no terminal flower was developed, and the upright stems bore leaves and bulbils only.Epilobium latifoliumoccurred among the stones in the glacier streams, and a very decumbent form ofEpilobium alpinumwas common on the hillsides.The hills all round were formed of loose morainic matter, the slopes consisting of fine sandy earth with pebbles, and the vegetation is distributed on the hillsides in the form of banks and terraces, thus giving the hills a peculiar appearance with very gentle steps. In some cases the vegetation has spread and grown over the edges of the terraces, and by further growth hummocks have been formed.The formation of hummocky ground on a morainic hillside appears to be somewhat as follows:—If conditions, such as snow-line, wind, etc. (on a bare hillside of sandy and stony ground) permit, isolated plants begin to appear, and collect soil around them by their prostrate habit of growth and with their roots; in consequence of the loose nature of the soil, and owing to the action of snow or water, slipping frequently takes place, and the plants tend to keep up the earth. As the plants spread, terraces get formed and the plants bank up the loose earth, and the mountain-side is then broken up into broad steps. The vegetation continues to grow over the edges of the terraces, and in consequence more soil is collected by the plants, and small mounds result, and later on, if the slope is not too great, true hummocks may be formed. If the slope is steep, the hummocks are usually flat-topped, but this is also often due to snow, wind, etc.The hummocky ground usually seen occurs in fairly level country, and its origin may probably have been somewhat different from that just described; the hummocks are from one to two feet high, and the ruts between are often so narrow that two hummocks have frequently united. The normal breadth of a hummock is from one to two feet across, and it is closely covered byEmpetrumorCassiope, withCarex vulgaris, the MossRhacomitrium lanuginosum, and the other plants already enumerated.Hummocky ground was also met with in meadows at Gilhagi (near Maelifell); here they were covered by grass and other meadow-plants, andSaxifraga cernuagrew in masses in the depressions. These hummocks were on a hillside, and may have been originally formed in the manner already described; but owing to some change in the snow-line, meadow-land plants may have wandered up the hillside, and ousted the characteristic plants of the hummocks.Our journey from Thjofadal to Gránanes lay for the most part over the lava-flows from Strytur, which were covered by a close-growing vegetation, large tussocks of moss, very dwarfSaxifrages,S. cæspitosa,Empetrum,Salix herbacea, and other plants usually found on the hummocks. True hummocks were, however, rare.Near our camp and before the Svatá was reached we came to the end of the lava and crossed a sandy tract, and the usual change in the flora was at once noticeable; large clumps of willows bound the sand together, around which the soil collected, forming mounds, and patches ofArmeria,Arabia petræa,Silene, andArenariawere scattered about. In some places the willows were killed by having been buried in the blown sand.Between Gránanes and Hvitarvatn the country is at first hummocky, and then covered by birch and willow scrub. On the hummocks, especially in the patches of moss,Saxifraga Hirculuswas not uncommon. The large tract of swampy ground at the edge of the lake was covered by masses of cotton grass. Leaving Hvitarvatn our way lay through willow scrub until the Hvitá was reached. After crossing the river the ground was very rough, being composed of morainic matter from the adjacent mountains and covered with large angular blocks of lava. The only flowers growing here wereArenuria,Armeria,ThymusandDryasin isolated patches. As we travelled farther south, the plants were noticed to be taller and more vigorous than those seen in the interior, and the flora was more home-like in character.Juniperus,Betula odorata,Calluna, andArctostaphylos uva ursiwere noticed for the first time.Both birches (B. odorata,B. nana) were very plentiful, and from two to three feet high (in the northB. nanawas only six to nine inches high) willows were not common.Between Sandá and Gullfoss another small desert area was traversed where earth-pillars occurred. The plants were hardly able to exist, as the smaller ones were blown away, and the willows and birches were in many places buried by the blown sand.Around Gullfoss the vegetation was luxuriant,Geum rivale,Geranium sylvaticum, andAlchemilla vulgariscovered the ground, and aboveRubus saxatilisandFrugaria vescawere abundant, whilstArctostaphylos uva ursialso grew in profusion.At Bratholt we reached civilisation again, and were presented with some of the lichen from which the orange dye, still used in the island, is obtained.Between Geysir and Thingvellir we passed through one of the largest forests in the island; the hillsides were covered with birch-bushes, and in places they were quite six feet high; usuallythey did not rise to a height of more than three or four feet, and the topmost branches became entangled in our legs as we rode among the bushes. All four species of birch were noticed, and the scent of the bruised leaves was very pleasant. By way of undergrowth, the ground was carpeted withGeranium sylvaticum,Ranunculus repens, and large patches ofOrchis maculata, etc. It was altogether a beautiful spot, and we spent nearly four hours wending our way through it. The river Bruará runs through the middle of this forest.At ThingvellirGentiana nivaliswas found among other plants.The rarity of blue flowers in the part of the island visited by us, and indeed throughout the island, was very striking, as the only other blue flowers noticed, besides the gentian, were theVeronicas, and theMyosotisandViola tricolorfound at Akureyri, andCampanula rotundifoliaandPleurogyne rotata, which were found on the east coast on the return journey.Gentiana campestrisandG. nivaliswere also found on the west coast.White,pale pink, andyellowwere the common colours, white being the predominant. The three most common orchids,Habenaria albida,Habenaria viridis, andPlantanthera hyperboreawere green and fairly inconspicuous. Perhaps the most striking flowers are the large rose-colouredEpilobium latifolium, which grows on bare islands of stones and black sand in the glacier streams, the yellowSaxifraga Hirculus, andDryas octopetala, which covers vast tracts of country.Between Thingvellir and Keykjavik is an extensiveHeithi, over which we rode rapidly. There appeared to be no features of any special interest, and as the day was very wet it was not possible to study the flora carefully. On the beach at ReykjavikMertensia maritimais a fairly common plant.The hot springs at Hveravellir and other places contain large quantities of algæ, mostly belonging to the blue-green family orCyanophyceæ. Specimens were collected from various springs at Hveravellir, Kerlingarfjöll, and Geysir, and the temperature of the water in which they were growing was carefully recorded. As I was unable to examine them in detail, I sent them to Professor West of Cirencester, who has worked through my material and published a paper on hot-spring algæ in theJournal of Botany,[2]in which he gives a list of all the algæ we brought back from Iceland.The highest temperature at which algæ were found was 85° C. (185° F.). Most of the forms found had not been previously recorded from Iceland, and there was one new species belonging to the genusAulosira,A. thermalis. Full details of these interesting algæ will be found in the paper to which a reference has been given.
NOTES ON PLANTS COLLECTED IN THE FAROES AND ICELAND
By A. W. HILL, M.A.
The decumbent character of the vegetation and the practical absence of trees form the most striking features of the flora in both the Faroes and Iceland. In the Faroes the steep and rocky hillsides are very exposed and wind swept, and the vegetation is in consequence characteristically dwarfed, and most plants raise themselves but little above the general level of the grass.
The dwarfed habit was well shown by some plants, such asOrchis maculata, which was very common on the slopes, and was only a few inches high. The inflorescences did not, as a rule, bear more than five to ten flowers, which, however, were large and pale in colour. The ovaries in many cases were not twisted, so that the labellum was consequently uppermost.
Another example of the effect of the conditions on the vegetation was afforded by the dandelionTaraxacum deus leonis, which exhibited the prostrate habit exceedingly well, for in order to protect the flowers from the wind, the flower scapes were bent over and laid parallel to the surface of the ground and the inflorescence was exposed to the light by a right-angled bend of the scape just below the head of the flowers. The inflorescence was by this means protected from the wind by being kept just below the general level of the vegetation.
Cardamine pratensiswas also influenced in a similar way on the lower slopes, but at higher altitudes plants were found bearing single radical flowers on short stalks instead of the usual raceme.
We proceeded to Akureyri in the north of Iceland by way of the east coast, and it was interesting to notice the difference in the condition of the vegetation on the northern and eastern shores of the island. On the east coast, at Seythis-and Vopnafjords, the plants were stunted and for the most part only in bud; but in the north, at Husavik and Akureyri, similar plants were much earlier, and were not only in full flower, but were also much less stunted, and showed a more robust growth than those found on the eastern side. For example,Plantanthera hyperborea, which was in tight bud on the east coast, and alsoThymusand other plants, were in full flower at Husavik.
Thalictrum alpinum, which grows abundantly all over the hillsides, was found to be attacked by the æcidial stage of one of the rust fungi,Puccinia septentrionalis;[1]and at Seythisfjord, where it was especially noticed, it was found that only the topmost leaflets were affected, that is to say, only those leaflets which protruded above the general level of the vegetation, and which were in consequence infected by wind-blown spores. At Seythisfjord the leaflets were only slightly attacked, the fungus being in a young state; but at Husavik it was much more advanced, and the hypertrophied purple tissues were very conspicuous. The effect often extended some way down the petioles.
The case of the fungus is a further example of the greater forwardness of the plants in the north.
There can be no doubt that the characteristics of the east coast vegetation are due to the prevalence of cold winds and the occurrence of cold currents.
Whilst crossing the island several interesting features of the vegetation were noticed. Between Akureyri and our first camp (Thverá) several "forests" were passed through, consisting ofBetula nana,Vaccinium uliginosum, and Willows,Salix lanataandS. glaucarising to a height of from nine to eighteen inches, with an undergrowth of other small plants.
The hillsides all round were covered byDryas octopetala, which was by far the commonest plant in the northern half of the island, and it was abundant also on the east coast.
Travelling along the Oxnadal and then turning off towards Silfrastathir,Dryasat first was the most conspicuous feature of the vegetation covering the rocky moraines and talus slopes; but about three miles from the head of the valley theDryaswas replaced byCerastium alpinumandPotentilla maculata, which then in their turn became the dominant plants for a considerable distance. As we traversed the island we kept passing through well-marked zones of different plants, whose limits seemed largely to be determined by the character of the soil.
After crossing the "col" some very rough screes were passed, on which the Iceland poppy,P. nudicaule, was growing abundantly. The screes were formed of rough angular blocks with very little soil between them, and the poppy was only growing in the most barren spots; where moraines occurred the poppy did not grow. It was also found on the stony ground by the river at Silfrastathir.
The hillsides were covered in many places by large tracts ofEquisetum(E. arvenseandE. pratense). The various species of the Equisetaceæ seem to be among some of the commonest plants of the island. The swampy regions by the rivers are covered withEquisetumandScirpus cæspitosus; and they are very abundant on the mountains.
From the river until we reached Gilhagi, the flora showed no features of any particular note; but a meadow there with large plants ofSaxifraga cernuain full flower was a very beautiful sight.
On ascending from Gilhagi a change in the flora was gradually seen. After about 2000 feetPedicularis flammeaappeared and became common; on the lower slopes the leaves were green and the plants tall, but at greater elevations the plants became short and stunted, with deep red leaves. The high ground was very much broken up, being of a deep hummocky character and covered by a dwarfed growth of Willows,Empetrum, Mosses, etc.
Passing over ground from which the snow had just melted, the willows were found to be either still quite bare or just coming out into leaf, but everywhere in such barren places cones ofEquisetumwere seen sticking up on pale brown stalks some six inches above the soil; the sterile green shoots do not grow up until some time after the appearance of the cones.
All around Athalmansvatn the ground was very hummocky, the mounds being from a foot to eighteen inches high, with narrow depressions or ruts between. The elevation of this region was about 2500 feet, and as the snow had only recently melted, everything was in consequence backward,Thalictrumand willows, etc., not yet being in flower.
Leaving Athalmansvatn a large tract of hummocky ground was crossed, covered chiefly byCassiope hypnoides,Empetrum,Willows,Salix lanataandS. herbacea, Grey Lichens, such asCladonia, and Mosses. After this our route lay across a piece of the northern desert land orSandr, which is a barren, sandy, and stony expanse. The soil was a light brownish loam, and was easily blown about by the wind, and scattered all over it were large angular or rounded blocks of stone.Arabis petræawas the only plant occurring in any quantity over this region, and it formed a very conspicuous feature in the landscape, growing in rosettes closely adpressed to the soil with the racemes of flowers growing out horizontally.
As we travelled on in a southerly direction,Silene acaulisappeared and then a little thrift,Armeria sibirica, and theArabisbecame less frequent. Here the soil was more sandy, and the strong wind blew clouds of dust. Still farther south,Armeriareigned supreme over the desert; but occasional patches containingSilene acaulis,Potentilla,Cerastium alpinum, andSilene maritimaoccurred. Where the soil became more loamy,Arabis petræaagain came in. At the edge of the desert the willows were seen encroaching on the sand, and soon a willow and birch (Betula nana) scrub was passed through, which in its turn gave place to moister land withEmpetrum,Pedicularis flammea, etc.
Near Blandá,Salir phyllicifoliawas noticed for the first time. A good deal of hummocky ground was also passed over, and its characteristic and invariable features were noticed (v. later).
After passing over very rough morainic ground with snow still lying in patches and quite devoid of vegetation, we reached Hveravellir, a perfect oasis in the desert. The hot springs and fumaroles occur along a long line of fissure, and warm up the soil of a considerable tract of country in their neighbourhood. The effect on the vegetation is most striking, for a strip of verdant meadow-land occurs in the middle of bare country, covered in many places with snow at the end of June. All the flowers occurring there were in a very forward state, and a large number of different plants were obtained; some spots were yellow with buttercups, and the ground was carpeted with thyme in full bloom.
Botrychium lunariaoccurred in quantity, and a very small variety ofOphioglossum vulgatum,O. vulgatum, var.polyphyllum, was found in a warm place.Selaginella spinosawas also abundant.
On the edges of this warm tract barren land occurred and in many places snow, so that there was a very sharp contrast between the warm and cold earth; and on the latter thewillows were only just coming into leaf. This tract of country occurs at the edge of the great lava flow from Strytur.
Towards Strytur the lava was in places covered by "hummocky ground," which showed the usual features noticed elsewhere.
The characteristic plants seem invariably to be:—
*Carex vulgaris(rigida), a creeping variety.*Salix lanata.*Salix herbacea.*Cassiope hypnoides.*Empetrum nigrum(very abundant).*Vaccinium uliginosum.Loiseleuria procumbens.Armeria sibirica.Silene acaulis(not very frequent).Bartsia alpina.Pedicularis flammea.
*Two or three Lichens, species ofCladonia, and a Moss,Rhacomitrium lanuginosum.
Those marked with an asterisk appear to be invariably present, the others are not so constant, but some are usually found.
Shortly after leaving Hveravellir the watershed of the island was crossed, and a marked difference in the flora was noticed in the valley, Thjofadal, on the southern side of the ridge, owing no doubt to the much greater rainfall which occurs on this, the south-western, side of the island.
Among plants noticed in this region, which had not been met with before, were:—
Draba alpina.Cardamine bellidifolia, andRanunculus pygmæus(which grew upright in the valley, but was prostrate and creeping on the surrounding hillsides).
Fungoid diseases were very prevalent in the valley, andSaxifraga cæspilosa, which was extremely dwarfed on the high ridges, was in many places badly attacked by a rust fungus.
Saxifraga cernuawas also affected by the conditions in this region, for in other localities north of the watershed all the plants were found with the usual terminal flower, but here no terminal flower was developed, and the upright stems bore leaves and bulbils only.
Epilobium latifoliumoccurred among the stones in the glacier streams, and a very decumbent form ofEpilobium alpinumwas common on the hillsides.
The hills all round were formed of loose morainic matter, the slopes consisting of fine sandy earth with pebbles, and the vegetation is distributed on the hillsides in the form of banks and terraces, thus giving the hills a peculiar appearance with very gentle steps. In some cases the vegetation has spread and grown over the edges of the terraces, and by further growth hummocks have been formed.
The formation of hummocky ground on a morainic hillside appears to be somewhat as follows:—
If conditions, such as snow-line, wind, etc. (on a bare hillside of sandy and stony ground) permit, isolated plants begin to appear, and collect soil around them by their prostrate habit of growth and with their roots; in consequence of the loose nature of the soil, and owing to the action of snow or water, slipping frequently takes place, and the plants tend to keep up the earth. As the plants spread, terraces get formed and the plants bank up the loose earth, and the mountain-side is then broken up into broad steps. The vegetation continues to grow over the edges of the terraces, and in consequence more soil is collected by the plants, and small mounds result, and later on, if the slope is not too great, true hummocks may be formed. If the slope is steep, the hummocks are usually flat-topped, but this is also often due to snow, wind, etc.
The hummocky ground usually seen occurs in fairly level country, and its origin may probably have been somewhat different from that just described; the hummocks are from one to two feet high, and the ruts between are often so narrow that two hummocks have frequently united. The normal breadth of a hummock is from one to two feet across, and it is closely covered byEmpetrumorCassiope, withCarex vulgaris, the MossRhacomitrium lanuginosum, and the other plants already enumerated.
Hummocky ground was also met with in meadows at Gilhagi (near Maelifell); here they were covered by grass and other meadow-plants, andSaxifraga cernuagrew in masses in the depressions. These hummocks were on a hillside, and may have been originally formed in the manner already described; but owing to some change in the snow-line, meadow-land plants may have wandered up the hillside, and ousted the characteristic plants of the hummocks.
Our journey from Thjofadal to Gránanes lay for the most part over the lava-flows from Strytur, which were covered by a close-growing vegetation, large tussocks of moss, very dwarfSaxifrages,S. cæspitosa,Empetrum,Salix herbacea, and other plants usually found on the hummocks. True hummocks were, however, rare.
Near our camp and before the Svatá was reached we came to the end of the lava and crossed a sandy tract, and the usual change in the flora was at once noticeable; large clumps of willows bound the sand together, around which the soil collected, forming mounds, and patches ofArmeria,Arabia petræa,Silene, andArenariawere scattered about. In some places the willows were killed by having been buried in the blown sand.
Between Gránanes and Hvitarvatn the country is at first hummocky, and then covered by birch and willow scrub. On the hummocks, especially in the patches of moss,Saxifraga Hirculuswas not uncommon. The large tract of swampy ground at the edge of the lake was covered by masses of cotton grass. Leaving Hvitarvatn our way lay through willow scrub until the Hvitá was reached. After crossing the river the ground was very rough, being composed of morainic matter from the adjacent mountains and covered with large angular blocks of lava. The only flowers growing here wereArenuria,Armeria,ThymusandDryasin isolated patches. As we travelled farther south, the plants were noticed to be taller and more vigorous than those seen in the interior, and the flora was more home-like in character.Juniperus,Betula odorata,Calluna, andArctostaphylos uva ursiwere noticed for the first time.
Both birches (B. odorata,B. nana) were very plentiful, and from two to three feet high (in the northB. nanawas only six to nine inches high) willows were not common.
Between Sandá and Gullfoss another small desert area was traversed where earth-pillars occurred. The plants were hardly able to exist, as the smaller ones were blown away, and the willows and birches were in many places buried by the blown sand.
Around Gullfoss the vegetation was luxuriant,Geum rivale,Geranium sylvaticum, andAlchemilla vulgariscovered the ground, and aboveRubus saxatilisandFrugaria vescawere abundant, whilstArctostaphylos uva ursialso grew in profusion.
At Bratholt we reached civilisation again, and were presented with some of the lichen from which the orange dye, still used in the island, is obtained.
Between Geysir and Thingvellir we passed through one of the largest forests in the island; the hillsides were covered with birch-bushes, and in places they were quite six feet high; usuallythey did not rise to a height of more than three or four feet, and the topmost branches became entangled in our legs as we rode among the bushes. All four species of birch were noticed, and the scent of the bruised leaves was very pleasant. By way of undergrowth, the ground was carpeted withGeranium sylvaticum,Ranunculus repens, and large patches ofOrchis maculata, etc. It was altogether a beautiful spot, and we spent nearly four hours wending our way through it. The river Bruará runs through the middle of this forest.
At ThingvellirGentiana nivaliswas found among other plants.
The rarity of blue flowers in the part of the island visited by us, and indeed throughout the island, was very striking, as the only other blue flowers noticed, besides the gentian, were theVeronicas, and theMyosotisandViola tricolorfound at Akureyri, andCampanula rotundifoliaandPleurogyne rotata, which were found on the east coast on the return journey.Gentiana campestrisandG. nivaliswere also found on the west coast.White,pale pink, andyellowwere the common colours, white being the predominant. The three most common orchids,Habenaria albida,Habenaria viridis, andPlantanthera hyperboreawere green and fairly inconspicuous. Perhaps the most striking flowers are the large rose-colouredEpilobium latifolium, which grows on bare islands of stones and black sand in the glacier streams, the yellowSaxifraga Hirculus, andDryas octopetala, which covers vast tracts of country.
Between Thingvellir and Keykjavik is an extensiveHeithi, over which we rode rapidly. There appeared to be no features of any special interest, and as the day was very wet it was not possible to study the flora carefully. On the beach at ReykjavikMertensia maritimais a fairly common plant.
The hot springs at Hveravellir and other places contain large quantities of algæ, mostly belonging to the blue-green family orCyanophyceæ. Specimens were collected from various springs at Hveravellir, Kerlingarfjöll, and Geysir, and the temperature of the water in which they were growing was carefully recorded. As I was unable to examine them in detail, I sent them to Professor West of Cirencester, who has worked through my material and published a paper on hot-spring algæ in theJournal of Botany,[2]in which he gives a list of all the algæ we brought back from Iceland.
The highest temperature at which algæ were found was 85° C. (185° F.). Most of the forms found had not been previously recorded from Iceland, and there was one new species belonging to the genusAulosira,A. thermalis. Full details of these interesting algæ will be found in the paper to which a reference has been given.